When the BuzzAround Bridgewater covered the TJ2 Robotics Team in 2019, they were one week into celebrating their second-place win at the South East MA New England District Event at their very own Bridgewater-Raynham High. However, that was far from the first time that TJ2 had a successful season. In fact, during the team’s first season in 1996, they were awarded with the Team Spirit Award at the Granite State Regional and received a slew of other recognitions the following year. Even the group’s structure highlights how it is no ordinary robotics team.
Elizabeth Calef, a Bridgewater-Raynham High physics teacher and current head coach, first founded the team in 1996 after she learned about For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a non-profit organization that supports the global youth robotics community. FIRST holds annual competitions during which high school teams from around the world design, program, and build robots in six weeks to compete in a different game each year. These industrial-sized robots must complete a set of challenges in the game, which is announced in January.
In the months leading up to this January announcement, recruitment and fundraising are the team’s main focuses. Approximately 80-90 students end up on the final roster annually and work together to organize initiatives like the Cape Cod Canal Day Bike-a-Thon and Gala Benefit Dinner & Auction to contribute to the financial success of TJ2. The team has also secured sponsorship over the years from Bridgewater State University, the RTX Corporation, and Johnson & Johnson MedTech (hence the “J2” in their name!), and more. In the past decade, the non-profit Friends of TJ2 Robotics has bolstered the team’s support and promotion among students and the Bridgewater-Raynham community.
In addition to fundraising, each team member is divided into one of six subgroups:
- The Art Team, which creates promotional materials and merchandise like their signature tie-dye shirts
- The Build Team, tasked with designing and manufacturing the robot using tools like a milling machine
- The Programming Team, focused on writing the robot’s code and adjusting other technological aspects
- The Public Relations Team, which manages the TJ2’s website, prepares award submissions, and organizes community-building initiatives like elementary school demonstrations
- The CAD Team, producing the computer-aided design (CAD) that the Build Team follows
- The Strategy Group, in charge of outlining the team’s priorities and ensuring that they are being followed during the building process, in addition to creating the competition strategy
While these divisions allow everyone to specialize in one area of the team’s success, TJ2 is ultimately a collaborative group; veteran team members mentor newcomers, and everyone is supported by professional programmers and engineers, college students, community volunteers, and more!
After the six weeks are over, the team moves into regional competitions with their eyes set on securing a place in the National Championship and the FIRST World Championships. TJ2—formally competing under the name Team 88 TJ2—is represented during these events by their “travel team,” which is made up of students who raised the most money and met the necessary working hours.
This year, Team 88 TJ2 were finalists at the New England District Champs and competed at the World Championships in Houston, Texas where they finished in third place out of 76 teams. Overall, TJ2 ranked 55th out of the 3,690 teams around the world that participated in this year’s competition! In their April 21 celebratory FB post, the team thanked their sponsors, community, and family for the support shown to the students, mentors, and coaches this season. This support is not one-sided, either. On Saturday, May 24, the TJ2 team and their families participated in the Raynham Memorial Day parade before heading off to the New England FIRST Massachusetts State Championship the following week where they secured another win. Make sure to continue supporting the team in the upcoming season, which officially starts on January 10, 2026!
Sources: TJ2 Robotics Team website & FB and FIRST website
Photo Credits: TJ2 Robotics Team June 17 FB Post, TJ2 Robotics photo gallery, & the BR Buzz via the BuzzAround Bridgewater’s March 17, 2019 newsletter
