Alpha + heading for glory
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April 22, 2013 |
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By Kristen Gannon
Photo by Sarah Schuman
The Bonners Ferry High School robotics team once
again made Bonners Ferry proud. April 4-6 FIRST
Team 2130 traveled to Cheney, Washington, to
compete in their second competition of the year.
Using the robot students built in just six
weeks, Alpha+ competed vigorously against 40
other teams from the Northwest and Mexico in
hopes of achieving the ultimate goal - the
chance to compete in the world championships in
St. Louis, Missouri.
The team leaves for the gateway to the west
Tuesday morning.
Day one of the competition in Cheney consisted
of practice matches that allowed the teams to
get familiar with their robots, their
competitors, and their strategies.
The second day was where competition got
serious.
After several of the students woke up at 4 a.m.
to be interviewed by the KXLY news crew, Alpha+
was ready for a long day. They finished their
long day losing only two of their eight matches.
On day three, the true excitement began; Alpha+
was undefeated for the day as qualifying matches
came to a close.
Ranked number one out of 41 teams, Alpha + saw
victory in its future.
After picking an alliance to play with for the
remainder of the day, nerves set in as the
finals were to begin. Alpha+ beat their first
opponents, and they achieved the highest score
for the entire competition: 180-55.
Holding the record, they proceeded to the
semi-finals where they were, unfortunately,
defeated.
Although they had lost their chances of going to
St. Louis due to their robot’s performance,
Alpha+ still had hope.
The FIRST program not only celebrates
outstanding robots, but also outstanding teams
as a whole.
During the awards ceremony just before the end
of the competition, Alpha+ was granted a
pleasant surprise - the Engineering Inspiration
Award.
This award was given to them for their work in
the community and their devotion to spreading
the love of science and technology throughout
the state, country, and world.
The award came with $5,000 and qualification to
the World Championships.
Alpha+ is currently ranked 40 in the world out
of 2,500 teams.
Team 2130, Alpha+ is pleased to announce that
they will be attending the FIRST World
Championships April 25-27. The team will be
leaving early April 23 and returning late April
28. |
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