The Krypton Cougars, FRC Team 2539, a high school robotics team based in Palmyra and Hershey, competed at the 2023 Duel on the Delaware offseason competition in Carney's Point, N.J., on Oct. 14 as well as the HAVOC offseason competition at William Tenant High School in Warminster on Oct. 21. Each of these events had more than 20 high school age teams from the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Region.

Consisting of high school students from mostly Palmyra and Hershey, the Krypton Cougars compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. After completing the 2023 Charged Up regular season with two championship blue banners in March and April, including a trip to the World Championship in Houston, the team entered several local offseason competitions to develop new members and get prepared for next year.

At Duel on the Delaware, the Krypton Cougars qualified third with a 5-1 record, allowing the team to become captain of the No. 3 three-team alliance to compete in the playoffs. The No. 3 alliance got to the finals and beat the No. 1 alliance in a tiebreaker to capture the championship trophy. The Krypton Cougars ended the weekend with a 10-2 record.

At HAVOC, with different driver and operator combinations, Team 2539 swept qualifying competitions and captained the No. 2 alliance with a 12-2 record to win the HAVOC championship trophy. This win gives Team 2539 a 110-26-1 record for the 2023 season, a new team season high, and its 20th competition win in its 16-year history.

Between the two competitions, the Krypton Cougars participated in the Hershey Halloween Parade, winning fifth place in the motorized float category. The Krypton Cougars also competed and placed second at Girl Power, which is an all-girl drive team competition.

Team 2539 has two more offseason competitions before starting the 2024 FRC season with a Jan. 6 kickoff party at its Hershey build site in the Granada Street Gymnasium, 30 E. Granada Ave., Hershey. New members, mentors, and sponsors are welcome. The team meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the year.

For more information, visit http://www.team2539.com or http://www.facebook.com/FIRSTTeam2539/ or email kryptoncougars2539@gmail.com.