At the Spring-Ford Ninth-Grade Center cafeteria in February, students ran around with wrenches, screwdrivers, and robot parts in hand for the district’s annual Vex Robotics Competition.
This February I took part in the competition. This event was the main fundraiser for the Vex Robotics program, and it was an amazing opportunity to learn and connect with other groups of people who share my interests and ambitions.
This year’s game, High Stakes, saw all teams be strategic in designs to ensure their bots were compact enough to fit the size requirements while also being effective enough to compete in the game. In the game, teams competed to score points by placing mobile goals, climbing, and scoring rings on stakes.
The playing area for High Stakes was a 12-foot-by-12-foot square field where teams competed by manipulating “mobile goals” with stakes on top, placing them in designated zones, and potentially climbing a ladder at the end of the match to earn points. The goal was to achieve a higher score than the opposing alliance.
The game featured an autonomous period where robots operated pre-programmed routines to score points by placing rings on stakes and positioning mobile goals. This was followed by a driver-controlled period the majority of the match, where drivers manually controlled robots to manipulate mobile goals, score rings, and prepare for the final climb.
The Ninth-Grade Center cafeteria and annex were designated areas for teams to work on their robots, with the gym serving as the field where all matches took place.
As each competition began, alliances filed into the gym. The gym was packed with spectators on the bleachers, referees, volunteers, nervous alliances, and of course, the robots.
When the games began, the alliances went to their assigned field, with this year’s fields representing Eagles players. Competitors had to strategize, set their robots up, and get ready to compete.
Teammates closely followed their robots and those on the field whispered suggestions to teammates controlling the robots. As the rounds finished, referees calculated the points of each team and announced the winner for that round. Controllers were put down with the competing teams immediately congratulating one another for great performance and going to help reset the fields.
Volunteers played a crucial role in making this a great day as they helped with field reset, assisting with check-in, at the concession stand, and with parents even helping out as referees and assistant judges.
While all of this chaos was taking place in the gym, the real work being done in the cafeteria was equally chaotic, but a wonderful experience nonetheless.
It was a successful day with great success and a lot of learning. A huge shoutout to all the volunteers and parents helping out and our sponsors as well as the wonderful club advisors, Mr. Eveland and Mr. Iannelli, who helped make this a memorable competition.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend those with interest in STEM fields to volunteer or participate in a Vex Robotics Competition.
