The Botcats started as Team TOGA in the fall of 1996 as a partnership between our Grandview Heights High School and The Ohio State University.  When our partner's enthusiasm waned, we leapt out on our own for the 2001 season, and we've never looked back!  We were greater than ever that year, becoming National Division Finalists.  In 2002 we started recruiting engineers who shared our philosophy that the students should truly learn engineering by being the real dreamers, leaders and problem-solvers during robot design and construction.  We rose to the 2005 challenge of losing all three of our engineers during the same season, by pulling together and designing a great robot, which won the Pittsburgh Regional!  Since that victory we've successfully recruited three engineers and a machinist in 2006, and two more enigneers, plus three assistants, in 2007.  All our adult team members are true mentors:  teachers, guides, role models.  They're all great and with their help, we're greater in turn.

We spread the message of FIRST through Open Houses and community events such as the Memorial Day parade.  The community has a national bike race every lear;  last year we started a great new tradition:  selling water to the crowd, raising money and spreading the FIRST word to a large thirsty audience.  During the bike race we distributed homemade fans, thick paper sheets with the story of The Botcats' mission, history and acocmplishments as well as advertisement for our FLL Regional.  These were mounted on wooden sticks so people could learn about us and stay cool during the race.  Gracious professionalism paid off for us as well; we agreed to staff the city's water booth and to keep half of the profits.  Halfway through the race, the city staff who were manning the booth selling soft drinks had to leave, and our team members manned their booth for them.  Afterwards, the organizers said we could keep all the profits and that they'd invite us back next year.

We partner with great sponsors, including AEP for eleven years.  They now sponsor 42 FIRST and FLL teams.  Our great relationship with them has inspired other businesses to support us. 

Our links to FLL are great!  Our district has four FLL teams started by a FIRST parent to provide a base for our high school team.  For six years we've volunteered to help a local state qualifying tournament where we've been Teamwork lead as well as judges and referees.  This year we hosted our own FLL state qualifying tournament and ran all aspects with the team, family members and alumni.  The these was nanotech so we recruited an Ohio State nanotech researcher to be a visiting dignitary and keynote speaker.  The Mindstorm Troopers out of Westerville won our tournament and continued on to win the State Tournament and represent Ohio in Atlanta.

In our 12 years we have won many FIRST awards, including the UTC Teacher Pioneer Award, the Western Michigan Johnson & Johnson Sportsmanship Award, the Pittsburgh Judges' Award for FIRST Attitude, the Pittsburgh Woodie FLowers Award and the Western Michigan Regional and National Daimler Chrysler Team Spirit Awards, among others.  In addition we have been National Division Finalists and most recently, in 2005, Pittsburgh Regional Champions.  We are very proud of our team-generated awards.  Most often we receive awards for team spirit, most friendly team, or gracious professionalism and we have received more than 30 total team-generated awards.