At the end of February, FRC Team 3128: The Aluminum Narwhals, a student-led high school robotics team at Canyon Crest Academy, competed in the Canadian Pacific Regional. The competition was a three-day event that gave teams from across the world a chance to advance to the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championships. The team’s dedication, innovation, and teamwork were on full display as they navigated the challenges of the competition, ultimately achieving remarkable success.
On the first day of the event, teams adjusted to the competition environment through practice matches. This was a crucial opportunity for the Aluminum Narwhals to test their systems and ensure an amazing performance. The second day marked the beginning of qualification matches, where the Narwhals truly shone. They exhibited remarkable performance due to their diligent preparations and investments throughout the season. By the end of the day, the Narwhals secured an overall ranking of second place. The team maintained their outstanding performance on the final day, allowing them to become the captain of Alliance 2, collaborating with Team 5468: Chaos Theory, Team 9449: Yellowjackets, and Team 9044: TeraViks.
Through their consistent efforts and commitment, the Narwhals achieved recognition by obtaining the Excellence in Engineering Award, the team’s first mechanical award. The competition concluded as the team became a finalist, a proud accomplishment for the team.
During March, the Aluminum Narwhals participated in the San Diego Regional competition. The event commenced with practice matches, allowing teams to familiarize themselves with the event and their competitors while refining their strategies and implementing last-minute improvements to their robots. Each Narwhal returned home optimistic for an equally great performance in the following days. On the second day of the competition, the qualification matches began. The drive team displayed excellent performance due to their intense concentration and coordination. The Aluminum Narwhals played in several qualification matches throughout the day, each match consistently exceeding the team’s expectations. On the final day, the team’s dedication paid off as they became the captain of Alliance 2.
Teaming up with Team 4984: Bullseye and Team 4738: Patribots, the Narwhals advanced through the playoffs, demonstrating strong teamwork and adaptability. Their alliance battled fiercely, going undefeated until the regional finals. The team’s Controls department also received recognition for their outstanding contributions. They secured the Autonomous Award: an award given to recognize the team that displayed the most consistent and reliable performance during the autonomous period of gameplay.
Building on past successes, Team 3128 entered the FRC Worlds Championship. The team competed alongside Team 7769: The CREW, Team 5411: The RoboTalons, and alliance captain Team 59: RamTech for the champion title. Despite great efforts, their alliance was eliminated in the third elimination bracket due to minor imperfections in autonomous play. Reflecting on their experience in Houston, the Aluminum Narwhals cherished the competition, forging new connections, making quick decisions, and strengthening team bonds. The team remains determined to re-qualify and excel in the 2025-2026 World Championships.
This report’s writers Claire Lin and Kyle Vu are of the team’s Business and Marketing Department
