Alpha + heading for glory
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.