About SubZero
SubZero Robotics was founded in 2014 at Esko High School and competed in its first FIRST Robotics Competition season in 2015.
In our rookie year we built T.O.M. from the Kit of Parts and won the Rookie Inspiration Award at the Lake Superior Regional. A year later, Sir B.A.R.D. earned an Industrial Design Award and took us to the FIRST Championship in St. Louis.
Since then we've won the 2017 Iowa Regional and the 2019 Lake Superior Regional, gone to 3 FIRST Championships, and won 13 awards for engineering, controls, creativity, spirit and gracious professionalism.
What is FIRST?
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global nonprofit that inspires young people to become leaders and innovators in STEM.
In the FIRST Robotics Competition, high school teams get a new game every January and just a few weeks to design, build, wire and program an industrial-sized robot to play it. Teams also raise their own funds, run outreach and practice Gracious Professionalism®: competing hard while treating everyone with respect.
Departments
Every student joins a department, and everyone helps out at competitions.
- Design & CAD
- Turn strategy into mechanisms: sketch, prototype and model the robot in CAD.
- Fabrication
- Machine, cut, drill and assemble. Our shop turns raw aluminum into a robot.
- Electrical
- Wire the power distribution, motor controllers, sensors and pneumatics, cleanly and safely.
- Programming
- Write the code that drives the robot, from teleop controls to autonomous routines and vision.
- Strategy & Scouting
- Break down the game, scout every match and help pick the right alliance partners.
- Business & Outreach
- Find sponsors, plan fundraisers and share STEM with our community.
- Media & Design
- Photos, video, social media, graphic design and the team look that makes SubZero, SubZero.
- Safety
- Keep everyone safe in the shop and the pits, and build a culture of safety on the team.
Coaches and mentors
The adults who volunteer with the team, and what they help with.
Coaches
- Lexxy NapperDesign/Fabrication, ElectricalDesigner at Cirrus Aircraft
- Logan MillsDesign/Fabrication, Programming, ElectricalDesigner at Cirrus Aircraft
Mentors
- Alec HabigProgramming, FabricationPhysics Professor, University of Minnesota Duluth
- Jerry FrederickFabricationElectronic Technician Senior, Minnesota Power
- Josh MichaudProgramming
- Laura ZimnyStrategy, Team Operations2025 Woodie Flowers FinalistChemistry/Physical Science, Esko Public Schools
- Levi BellandProgrammingLumyn Labs, Rip Saw Robotics
- Scott ThompsonFabrication
Core values
The team wrote these together at a 2019 core values session.
Acceptance. We welcome all individuals and their ideas with an open mind.
Respect. We honor everyone's opinions, goals, and actions.
Kindness. We are friendly to all we meet and share goodwill in all we do.
Integrity. We strive for honesty and speak up for what we believe is right.
Confidence. We are bold in our ideas and driven by curiosity.
Resilience. We are dedicated to our goals and approach challenges with optimism.
Teamwork. We work together as a cohesive unit to accomplish more.
Fun. We enjoy working with each other and celebrate what we do.