Season 1 (2015 - 2016)

Team 5980 was 39-23-0 in official play and 43-28-0 overall in 2016. As a member of the FIRST In Michigan district, Team 5980 ranked 13 having earned 225 points.

Team 5980 was established in the late summer of 2015. Oliver Vandenberg and other seniors set their minds on creating a FIRST robotics team. That autumn, David Price, the coach of FRC 5473, Team Spitfire, from the West Michigan Aviation Academy, gave a presentation in the Little Auditorium to potential EGR members (students and parents) on the topic "What is FIRST?".  The team then began meeting biweekly in the school library with the support of Dr. Betsy Neubig, Oliver’s mother.

Team members had no knowledge of what was to be expected; they got started by working on miniature robotic arms and other erector sets. Shortly after, the team began receiving assistance from FRC 5473, Team Spitfire, both technically, but also on the engineering log, the business plan, and other team management and judging artifacts. Team 5980 quickly learned the importance of organized and structured sub-teams and caught a glimpse of the standard FIRST robot parts. Mentor David Austin from FRC 4003, The Trisonics, helped immensely by preparing the programming team for the build season.

Despite a slow and tenuous start, Team 5980 was on its way to a meaningful, important, and successful season. The team performed well in district competitions and was a trusty Alliance pick, finishing 10th and 6th before qualifying for the Michigan state competition. There, Team 5980 finished in 5th place and qualified for the World Championships in St. Louis -- in just its first year.