Team History

The following is an overdramatization of events that are questionably truthful:

'Twas the year 2006, and all was quiet in the events of Shawnee Mission East High School. Discontent with the lack of nerdy clubs, a group of 10 [citation needed] students decided to shake things up. All four of the other Shawnee Mission High School had already established Robotics Teams, so they thought, "Why don't we start our own team and show those stiffs from South who's really better?" (disclaimer: not an actual quote). Thus, with the help of Automotive Technology teacher Mr. Gay, FRC Team 2335 was born. But they quickly came across a predicament, as each team has to have a name, and our aspirational students were stumped. They decided to simply Google the number 2335, and found out it was the year B.C.E. when Sargon the Great established the Akkadian Empire. So it was decided that Team 2335 would be dubbed Sargon Robotics. [End dramatization]

Despite their small numbers, the rookie year team was both fearless and to be feared. In the 2008 FIRST Robotics Competition, dubbed OverDrive, Sargon Robotics came to the floor with "The Brave Little Toaster". As an effective robot made to support other teams on the alliance, "The Brave Little Toaster" won the Rookie All-Star Award for Sargon Robotics at the Greater Kansas City Regional, making them the first Shawnee Mission School to qualify for the National level of competition.

With an outstanding rookie year, Sargon looked forward to a new year of competition. The team rapidly expanded into greater numbers, making them an ever greater force in the 2009 competition, Lunacy. Sargon's robot for the Lunacy competition used an Archimedes screw to launch the balls into the scoring bins. The sophomore year team decided to name the robot "The Brave Little Blender", thereby establishing a tradition of Brave Little Kitchen Appliances. The Blender made it all the way to the semifinal round of the regional competition, but unfortunately made it no further. However, it was not a complete loss for Team 2335, as they were given the 2009 Website Excellency Award. At least they walked away with something on their shoulders.

On to the third year, the team had a population of 20 going into the 2010 competition, Breakaway. As the competition was basically a soccer game, Team 2335 constructed a small robot with a very effective kicking mechanism. They also slapped on two rotating gears for decoration and dubbed it "The Brave Little Can Opener". After struggling in the first few rounds, the Can Opener proved its worth enough to get picked for finals, but unfortunately lost in the quarterfinals.

The fourth time 'round, however, was a doozy. With an immense inflow of new members, the team became overpopulated and struggled to manage themselves. But Sargon pressed on and entered the Logomotion competition, armed with "The Brave Little Nutcracker". Unfortunately, the team's struggles hindered the team, and 2011 became the first year ever that Sargon Robotics failed to make playoffs at the Greater Kansas City Regional. And so, with one last competition under their belts, Team 2335 said goodbye to a large number of senior members, including the last remaining founding member. Their exit was bittersweet because on one hand, the population crisis was ameliorated, but on the other hand, the team lost some of the greatest contributors it had yet seen.

And so it is that Sargon Robotics currently enters the 2012 competition, Rebound Rumble, with high hopes for reclaiming past glory.