Spartan Robotics Teams Excel at Whitehall Tournament
On Saturday, January 25th, seven teams from the St. Joseph School Spartan Robotics Club participated in a regional VEX IQ tournament held at Whitehall High School. The tournament featured 42 upper elementary and middle school robotics teams from the northwestern regions of the state. Spartan teams excelled throughout the event, taking home multiple judged and skill-based awards.
This year’s VEX IQ competition, “Rapid Relay,” challenged students to work collaboratively with another robot to collect soccer ball-like items and launch them through various height goals. The game emphasized teamwork, awarding more points for assists than for goals scored. Student teams also had the opportunity to showcase their one-minute autonomous and driver programs during the skills challenge event.
Spartan Robotics Teams Triple Threat and Ctrl-Z
The Spartan Robotics team Triple Threat, consisting of St. Joseph fifth graders Max Delf, Zac Haughain, and Eli Helgeson, was awarded the Elementary Level Excellence Award for their outstanding performance throughout the day. In the middle school category, Spartan Robotics team Ctrl-Z, made up of Michael Peterson, Jacob Charron, and Addie Pacholke, won the Middle School Excellence Award, recognizing the best overall performance in their division. They also won the skills competition, outscoring the next best team by over 20 points.
Spartan Teams Code Crushers, Black Market Beans, and Gear Shift
The Spartan team Code Crushers, featuring Siddharth Ganesh, Gray Randall, and Serena Mincoff, finished 2nd overall in the Teamwork Challenge and also earned the Design Award for the best documentation of their robotic design process. The Spartan middle school team Black Market Beans, consisting of Landry Scott, Lohith Kommu, and Miles Turner, placed 4th in the Skills Competition, earning an invitation to the state tournament in March. Not far behind, in 7th place, was the elementary team Gear Shift, made up of Lucy Peterson, Elise Labonte, Vivian McRaif, and Vera Helgeson, who also qualified for the state tournament.
From the Coach
Warrior and Spartan Robotics coach Jeremy “Pete” Peterson shared,
“I couldn’t be prouder of the kids. Not only did they compete at a very high level throughout the tournament, but they also demonstrated incredible teamwork and camaraderie with other teams. This success is a direct result of having so many great parent mentors who support and serve as positive role models for these kids. As Spartan Robotics has grown over the last few years, it has been truly special to watch. We will be sending five of our teams to the state tournament next month for a chance to compete at the highest level in the state and possibly earn invitations to the VEX World Championship.”
Peterson concluded,
“We are so appreciative of Thomas Precision, the Education Foundation of Rice Lake, and the Rice Lake Celebrity Challenge for sponsoring our club this year.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the exciting world of competitive robotics is encouraged to contact Jeremy “Pete” Peterson at Rice Lake High School for more information on how to get involved.
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