About our Team // History

2011

2011 Florida Regional

Going into the 2011 season, Miss Daisy set her sights on the technical aspects of the FIRST® Robotics program. The main focus was our robot’s prowess, agility, and speed. After a host of electrical difficulties at the Florida Regional, Miss Daisy X was able to pull together a valiant performance for the Philadelphia Regional, going 8-1 in qualification matches. This season was not destined to bring in many wins for Miss Daisy, but we kept our spirits high by cheering other teams on, and enjoying FIRST® to it’s maximum at the Championships in St. Louis.

2011 Awards at a Glance

2010

2010 Championships in Atlanta, Georgia

2010 was Miss Daisy's most successful year ever. At both the New York City and Philadelphia Regionals, Miss Daisy came out on top as #1 seed and later went on to win both regionals! Its hard to top two regional wins but Miss Daisy and her crew went on to the Championships with high hopes and came home with highest honor in FIRST®: the Championship Chairman's Award. No words can describe the joy our team felt when this award was announced - it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Daisy team now has so many new plans for our future and can't wait to help even more FIRST® teams in the years to come!

2010 Awards at a Glance

2009

2009 San Diego Regional

2009 marked Team 341's tenth anniversary. While we have not always been Daisies we are proud to have flowered for so long. In 2009, Daisy made her first appearance at the San Diego Regional where we took home a champion's trophy. This was Team 341's third year in a row to win a regional competition (the prior two at the Philadelphia Regional). Things didn't really work out on the field at the Philadelphia Regional though but off the field the Daisies won the second highest honor in FIRST®, the Engineering Inspiration Award. At the international championships, we were honored again with the National Engineering Inspiration Award.

2009 Awards at a Glance

2008

LONDON - Farnborough Air Show

2008 was a year full of excitement for Team 341. Team members put in a lot of hard work and in the end, Miss Daisy paid back in full. The team walked away from the Philadelphia regional with the Chairman's Award in one hand, and the Regional Champion title in another. In the summer, the team was invited to England to demonstrate Miss Daisy at the Farnborough Air Show.

2008 Awards at a Glance

2007

Atlanta 2007

2007 started out great when it was announced that Miss Daisy had won the President's Circle Award. After all the hard work put in during build season, Team 341 demonstrated their love for Miss Daisy at the New Jersey Regional. Team 341's cheerful antics won them the Daimler Chrysler Team Spirit Award. After New Jersey, Team 341 headed off to Chesapeake, where they won the Woodie Flowers Award. Miss Daisy's last regional stop was Philadelphia, where they took home the Engineering Inspiration Award as well as the championship.

2007 Awards at a Glance

2006

2007 Singapore

The 2006 season marked the return of our beloved advisor Mr. Torrente from North Montco Technical Career Center. He was not alone however, students from Montco followed him and provided their skills to aid the team. Team 341 went on to win an award at every competition they participated in.

2006 Awards at a Glance

2005

2005 Chesapeake Regional

In 2005, the Wissahickon Senior High School Robotics Team lost their partner, North Montco Technical Career Center. By losing two advisors, team members, and a building facility, Miss Daisy had a rough start to the new season. The team made it out strong however, due to the support from parents and the school administration for allowing the team to use the high school facilities. The team earned national recognition at the National as it was named an honorable mention of the Chairman's Award. Team 341 also took home the Judges Award at the National in Atlanta.

2005 Awards at a Glance

2004

2004 Nationals in Atlanta

In 2004, when the bar had been raised, our team continued to struggle financially, and even began having difficulties on the field. Though off the field, the team won several awards. The Team Spirit Award was won at the Chesapeake Regional Competition and Miss Daisy was also presented Regional Chairman’s Award at the Philadelphia Alliance Regional, for the second consecutive year. Moving on to the Nationals, the team was awarded Honorable Mention for the National Chairman’s Award. Though the year was rough, it was a great experience for both students and advisors.

2004 Awards at a Glance

2003

2003 Nationals in Houston

During the 2003 season, the Daisy crew decided to take a new path in building the robot. In the earlier years, professional engineers had helped to build the team’s robot, but the loss of a sponsorship affected the support engineers could give to our team. The team decided to become 100% student built, and in that season, Miss Daisy was a great success. Team 341’s success led to the team winning four awards. At the Philadelphia Alliance Regional, the Daisies received the Regional Chairman’s Award and the Leadership in Control Award. The team also won the Kleiner-Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award and was a Galileo Division Champion in the National Final Four at the National Competition.

2003 Awards at a Glance

2002

2002 Nationals in Orlando

In 2002 the team decided to change its name yet again and form a more unique and memorable identity. After much debate, the team decided on "Miss Daisy" after the movie "Driving Miss Daisy." The team figured that then they could say they were actually driving "Miss Daisy." During the season, success started to take root, even though the team was not fully financially supported through sponsors. The team won three awards throughout the season, the Daimler-Chrysler Team Spirit Award at the Long Island Regional, and the Judge’s Award and Volunteer of the Year Award, both at the Philadelphia Alliance Regional. In the same season, one of Miss Daisy’s team members won a $40,000 scholarship to Drexel University, which was presented at the National Competition. Financially, it was a rough year, but Team 341 made it through the season better than they had previously.

2002 Awards at a Glance

2001

2001 Ramp Riot

In the 2001 season, the team decided to change its name to "Hephaestus," after the Greek god of technology, metals, and fire. Our robot that year even sported a flashy fire paint scheme. At the National Competition at Epcot in Orlando, Florida the team won Ford Motor Company’s “Best Team” Award. That year we also won the Ramp Riot event as the alliance team leader.

2001 Awards at a Glance

2000

In the year 2000 Team 341 started as a modest team of roughly ten students and three mentors. They went by the name "Tom Servo," after Mystery Science Theater 2000, and were sponsored by PSGA. Right out of the starting blocks, the team was encouraged by winning the Rookie All-Star award at the Philadelphia Alliance Regional. Following the regular season, Team 341 hosted its first off-season competition, Ramp Riot, which turned into an annual event that continues to grow each year.

2000 Awards at a Glance

1999

Alan Ostrow, a Wissahickon science teacher, happened to stumble into a FIRST regional in the spring of 1999. As luck would have it, Mr. Ostrow ran into a fellow Wissahickon technology teacher who was also interested in starting a team. The rest, as they say, is history.