Climbing up to the semi-finals, the South Windsor High School Robotics Club expressed their pride towards their efforts and outcome, despite the loss.
Participating in the World’s Championships of the First Robotics Competition (FRC), the SWHS Robotics Team was chosen as the finalist in the New England District Championships division. The team ranked 5th place in New England amongst 190 teams and 11th in the competition.
Select members of the team flew down to Houston, Texas to compete against 46 US states and 30 other countries. The competition was held at George R Brown Convention Center in Houston from April 16th to 21st. It was said to be a great experience for the students.
“The World Championships is not just a competition where everyone comes together and competes, there’s so much more to it,” junior Scouting/Strategy Lead of the Robotics team, Aditya Patel, told The Prowl.
Patel emphasized the importance of his interaction with Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer, and current American Youtuber. With Colleges and Universities present at the event, Patel stated it was a great experience for high school students.
The robot built by the team also played a huge part in the success. The robot could drive around, pick up foam rings off the ground, and shoot them into a goal, 6 feet above the ground. It was also able to lift itself off the ground by hanging on a chain that was held above the ground.
The team achieved their first number-one seed since 1998 (26 years), won two district events, and won numerous awards including an Autonomous Award at the World Championships, the first of its kind in team history.
“I remember looking back up at the stands to our team area to everyone being in dismay and shock. Being ranked 11th out of some of the top 75 teams and then losing so quickly stunned all of us,” Patel commented.
Despite their loss, the team is proud of their achievements in the competition. “I was extremely bummed when we got knocked out in the playoffs, however, I was still extremely excited and proud with how we did this season,” junior and team captain/driver of the Robotics team, Howard Matt Slater, told The Prowl.
Slater was proud of the team’s record-breaking season and their excitement for improving in the upcoming year.
“The competition was super fun and the team did extremely well,” junior Alyssa Mazzie, explained as she expressed her pride towards the contributing drivers and builders of the robot.
