Team 2473:
The Goldstrikers
Cupertino Robotics FRC Team 2473, The Goldstrikers, is the competitive robotics team at Cupertino High School. Each year, our students design, build, and program an industrial-scale robot to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Through this experience, students gain real-world engineering, leadership, and teamwork skills while embracing FIRST’s core values of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®.
Our team brings together students with diverse interests — from machining and software to business and outreach — creating a rich environment for learning, creativity, and impact.
Team Mission
At its heart, Team 2473 exists to:
Empower students through hands-on STEM learning
Build confident, capable future engineers and leaders
Foster collaboration, resilience, and innovation
Give back to the community through outreach and mentorship
What We Do
Every FRC season follows an exciting rhythm:
Kickoff & Strategy
The season begins in January with the FIRST challenge reveal. Students immediately begin analyzing the game, brainstorming strategies, and defining robot goals.Design & Prototyping
Students use CAD tools to design mechanisms and test ideas quickly, exploring multiple paths before locking in a strategy.Build & Integrate
Over two months, the team manufactures, assembles, and iterates on the robot. Electrical, software, and mechanical systems come together through daily collaboration.Test & Refine
With drive practice, autonomous tuning, and alliance strategy sessions, the robot and team are battle-tested before competitions begin.Competitions
We compete with teams across the region, showcasing our robot and learning from others while demonstrating teamwork and gracious professionalism.
Team Structure & Subgroups
To succeed both on and off the field, the Goldstrikers are organized into student-led subgroups, each with distinct roles and responsibilities:
🔧 Hardware
Designs and builds the physical robot structure and mechanisms. Students learn machining, fabrication, assembly, and system integration. Hardware is further divided into Design and Manufacturing subgroups, allowing students to sharpen certain skills through additional specificity.
💻 Software
Programs robot systems including teleoperated control, autonomous routines, sensor integration, and dashboard tools.
🔌 Electrical
Designs and implements wiring, power distribution, and control systems, ensuring the robot runs reliably and safely.
📣 Business & Outreach
Supports the team through fundraising, sponsorship communication, media, community events, and mentoring younger students.
🎥 Awards, Media & Documentation
Creates our social media presence, team videos, photography, and year-end recap materials to tell the story of the team and the season.
Interested in Joining? - FAQ
What is FRC?
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is the flagship high school program offered by FIRST. At Cupertino Robotics we have a single team: The Goldstrikers (2473). Our team consists of students of all years and is great for students with all ranges of experience.
How long is the build season? And what does it look like?
For FRC the primary season starts around the second week of January and runs for approximately 3 - 4 months. During the first two months, we do a lot of the building and coding for the robot. During these two months, we utilize our critical thinking and teamwork to build a competitive robot to participate in the competitions which follow.
What is the time commitment?
FRC is a year-round activity. We recruit and train in the fall, have our main build season in the winter, and compete in early spring. While summer meetings are not required, they allow team members to develop skills and work on projects with less time pressure. We typically meet 1-4 times per week for up to 3 hours, with more meetings concentrated in the January - April Build and Competition season.
Although sports and other activities are possible with FRC, students will get the most out of the program if they prioritize robotics.