Local Robotics Teams Excel at VEX-A-MANIA Event
On Saturday, December 7, the Rice Lake High School Warrior Robotics Team partnered with the St. Joseph School Spartan Robotics Club to host a dual robotics tournament event called VEX-A-MANIA in the adjacent gyms at Rice Lake High School. With nearly 69 robot teams competing, this was one of the largest regional robotics tournaments in the state this year, showcasing some of the highest-ranked robot teams in the area, from elementary through high school levels. Rice Lake-based teams excelled in many areas during the competition.
In the high school-level V5RC tournament, teams participated in a game called “High Stakes.” The game requires robots to collect rings around the field and deposit them on various-sized stakes while also attempting to climb a four-foot-tall wall at the end of the match. At VEX VRC tournaments, morning qualification rounds are 2 minutes long, with the first 15 seconds autonomously programmed and the last 1:45 controlled by a student driver. Robot teams are seeded based on their morning performance to earn a place in a single-elimination finals bracket held in the afternoon. Additionally, all teams had chances to earn a skill score ranking on a separate field by showcasing their one-minute driver-controlled program and one-minute autonomous program. Throughout the event, robot teams were interviewed and judged on their design process and engineering notebooks.
Teams
Half of the teams in the high school tournament reaching the semifinal matches were from the Warrior Robotics Club. Team Ingenuity, consisting of RLHS students Gavin Curtis, Nathan Vander Zanden, and Owen Roethel, was crowned tournament champions. The club also excelled in the judged categories, where Team InSight, consisting of seniors Hannah Yeager, Evelyn Easton, and Stephanie Kucko, won the Excellence Award as the best overall robot in the tournament. Team Hellcat, consisting of Michael Wyse, Braydon Wilson, Wade Wells, and Kyler Warring, was awarded the Design Award for the best engineering notebook, earning an invitation to the state tournament this March. Also earning a state tournament invitation for their excellent driver skills performance was Team Dazed and Confused, consisting of Jacob Jondreau, Brandon Mincoff, and Jason Dennis.
In an adjacent gym, 37 elementary through middle school-level VEX IQ teams participated in a tournament playing the game titled “Rapid Relay.” During matches, students worked collaboratively with another robot to collect soccer ball-type items and launch them through various-height goals. An emphasis in the game is placed on one robot passing to another, with more points awarded for assists than goals scored. Students also had a chance to showcase their one-minute autonomous and driver programs during the skills challenge event.
Spartan Robotics Team Triple Threat, consisting of St. Joseph fifth graders Max Delf, Zac Haughain, and Eli Helgeson, not only beat all the older middle school teams in the skills challenge but also won the elementary Excellence Award for being the best overall robot at the tournament. Spartan Robotics Team Ctrl-Z, consisting of middle schoolers Michael Peterson, Jacob Charron, and Addie Pacholke, won the middle school-level Excellence Award. Both teams are currently ranked first in the state at their respective levels and have earned automatic invitations to the state tournament held in March. Spartan Team Code Crushers, consisting of Siddharth Ganesh, Gray Randall, Serena Mincoff, and Angel Vizcarra, placed third overall in the skills tournament and also received an invitation to the state tournament.
The newly formed Rice Lake Middle School robotics teams also found success in their first tournament. Rice Lake Middle School Team E, consisting of Ty Schradle, Logan Bahls, Brody Britton, and Jeffrey Phillips, performed well throughout the teamwork challenge and were crowned tournament champions during the event finals. This victory earned them their first-ever invitation to the state tournament. Team D was awarded the Judges Award for their outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the day. Middle School Robotics Advisor Michael Barette commented that students were “very active and engaged throughout the day and are excited to improve their robot designs for upcoming tournaments this winter.”
Warrior and Spartan Robotics coach Jeremy “Pete” Peterson stated, “Overall, the day went well. A big thanks is owed to the over 96 volunteers across organizations who pitched in to make this a success, including over 20 who served as event judges. This is the first time we have been able to showcase the total spectrum of competitive robotics in our community, from elementary through high school levels. We know it has been growing in numbers, but I think, given the level of competition at the tournament, it is also growing in quality. We also want to thank our event sponsors, including McCain Foods, Thomas Precision, Rice Lake Weighing System, the Education Foundation of Rice Lake, and the Rice Lake Celebrity Challenge, for their financial support of all the Rice Lake programs that made this event happen. Anyone looking to learn more about the exciting world of competitive robotics in our area should feel free to contact Jeremy “Pete” Peterson at Rice Lake High School for information on how to get involved.
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