About Team RICE


It started in 2001 as a seed, an idea, as many great things do. It took a handful of students with a love of technology and a desire to start a robotics team in Southold High. When approached with the idea of a robotics team, Technology teacher Tony Kryl signed onto the idea along with Physics teacher Kim Palermo.

Team RICE has faced hardships during its inception and it is because of these obstacles that we are stronger as a team and as individuals. Community skepticism has always been one of Team RICE’s most difficult hurdles. A reluctant community means financial hardship as much of our fiscal backing comes from sponsors. We are always striving for innovative ways to reach out to our community and prove our worth. Because Southold is such a small community and RICE a small team relative to other FIRST competitors, receiving funding from large corporations is difficult. Our team took charge from the beginning with just simple fundraisers such as car detailing, leaf raking, tag sales, and potluck dinners. To date, our members have raised over $75,000.00 for our team. We presently attract over 50 local and regional sponsors. Team RICE was recognized at the 2003 L.I. Regional with the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award by demonstrating the businesslike scope and dedication of our fundraising program. Our future is so bright as a team that we needed a fundraiser to match our intensity. So this year, we will be selling energy efficient light bulbs (they are a bargain too, at five bucks, get them in Mr. Kryl’s room).

We are privileged to have an amazing technology program, facility, and faculty. Tools and resources are readily available to help the team build and produce amazing robots, like our robot in 2003 which won the L.I. Regional. But Team RICE is not about reveling in its own victories and accomplishments. We believe in sharing our resources, knowledge and experiences with other teams in the FIRST community. When in competition, our tools accompany us and we are glad to share our resources with other teams. We lend tools and man power to those teams who may not have the resources to fix their robots at competition. Team RICE believes that it is because of this dedication to helping others that we were awarded The Rookie All Star Award at the 2002 L. I. Regional.

Team RICE is committed to spreading the message of FIRST. This is why this year, the team has taken on the task of mentoring a Lego League Jr. Robotics Team (who have been dubbed the RICE krispies). We want to share our knowledge and experiences with younger students in hopes of sparking their interest in technology. Presently, the team is open to 7th and 8th graders but we hope to expand this opportunity to our elementary students in the future. Current RICE members mentor and advise LEGO students just as our professional mentors assist us. We teach them effective productivity and support them in creative problem solving.

RICE members have fought hard to make their team a reality; to us it is now an obsession. Members take pride in being involved in every aspect of creating the robot. We plan it, build mock models, program, build, and even construct key elements of the competition field. It requires working from 2:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and giving Saturdays to fully complete the task. We value not only the victory at competition but moreover the involvement in the engineering process. Ultimately, it is through the recognition of our individual strengths that we prosper as a team.

Since the inception of Team RICE, we found it necessary to extend our good fortunes onto others. In an effort to extend FIRST into neighboring schools, Team RICE invited Greenport High to join our robotics program. No one is turned away from Team RICE. If a student demonstrates a desire to become a member, he or she only needs to demonstrate dedication of time and effort to the team and they will find themselves a welcomed addition with the same standing as any other teammate. Robotic or mechanical skill not withstanding, there is always a place for membership. Whether it is as a public relations ambassador, a graphics designer, a strategist, or a researcher, Team RICE remains a place where all are welcomed.

The proof of our success is mirrored in the fact that our alumni have returned to us. A good number of past team members are now looking to seek career opportunities in the technology and engineering fields. They want to investigate colleges and universities that offer chances for them to expand upon the knowledge they have acquired through the high school robotics program. Our past president, other builders, and programmers have returned from their respective colleges to volunteer their time as mentors and consultants. Even though we are a relatively young team, we have produced a future technology teacher in training. Last year’s President, JR Rumpler, is presently enrolled in SUNY Oswego in pursuit of becoming a technology teacher. He credits his love of technology and his desire to enter the teaching field to his intense involvement in the Southold High Robotics Program. One of the aspects of the program that remains forefront in his mind is the emphasis Team RICE puts on the core value of respect. Whether it is between student and teacher, student and student, or our team and other teams, respect is an essential core value promoted among this team and demonstrated to others. During our team meetings every person and every idea counts. The job each individual performs and the ideas they offer are always held in high favor because it could mean the difference between as instant fix or hours of work to solve a problem. Each and every one of our members plays a crucial part in RICE’s success. Whether it is those who program our robot or those who organize our supplies, each of us play our own important respectable roles.

Respect is also crucial in the process of our adult mentors. Parents’ and mentors’ free time is scarce to begin with, but when it comes to assisting us in the process of building our robot, free time becomes almost nonexistent. We have found that what keeps these adult mentors coming back night after night is the level of respect they are shown and the overall positive and creative environment that is consistently displayed.

An aspect in which Team RICE rises to the occasion in is our ingenuity and creativity. With each consecutive year, our team has had the drive to overcome obstacles that were holding us back in the past. One persistent problem we had was our engine kept overheating and in the pressure of competition, the robot would shut down to cool off. Our team addressed this frustrating problem head on and in 2004 we designed and constructed specialized motor mounts. This allowed for the heat of the engine to be taken and dispersed into the air. This new mount kept our robot running through the entire competition efficiently. Consequently, our team was honored at the 2004 L.I. Regional with the Xerox Creativity Award for our creative design utilizing these mounts.

This is only a brief look into the heart of Team RICE. Our partnership between students, teachers, engineers, parents, administrators, community, sponsors, and other FIRST teams comprises the rich tapestry that makes our organization as special as it is. From the mundane tasks to the technologically extraordinary accomplishments, our team is of one mind and one objective; be the best representative of FIRST. That does not mean simply win at competition. Any team given the proper resources and man power can claim a victory. We are about representing the best that FIRST has to offer and heralding its message to others. We take exceptional pride in our team and its accomplishments, but we know that it’s not the winning and awards, which justifies greatness. Team RICE finds it in our partnership, our comradeship with other teams, our demonstration of gracious professionalism on and off the field, and the sheer thrill of the entire FIRST Robotics experience.