On Saturday 1st March, Miss Merry and Mrs Jones took our Year 10 robotics team to compete at the Regional competition of the First Tech Challenge in Liverpool!
The challenge requires a built robot, with effective coding in order to play a game which changes each year. The students of Laurus Ryecroft were acknowledged for their ‘gracious professionalism’ on the day, and were brilliant team mates whilst respectable against their opponents.
Over the last few months, students have been challenged to build a robot with the equipment sent, and produce coding in order to make it move both with and without a remote. The students worked incredibly hard, producing design ideas and learning the coding required to do this. With this being the first time we have competed, it took a while to understand what components did what function and how they could come together. The students were incredibly determined and motivated throughout to make sure they were competition ready.
To get into the team spirit, they designed a logo and created their own badges following the incentives we have as a school. They laser cut these so that they can share them with the organisers of the events and their alliances at the game on the day. They also used the heat press in school to create their own Team T-shirts to show a united front.
At the event, they passed all sections with the judges, including a portfolio, a 10-minute presentation of their design and any health and safety inspections. We were ready to play. The students were paired with other teams to form alliances and had 6 games to play where they had to move the blocks into baskets or hang them onto metal bars. The students were exceptional discussing strategy with their alliances, shaking hands with opponents at the end of each game and helping others with their robots if there was a failure. Students also had to make pitch side repairs ready for each game as we faced set backs of faulty motors, broken chain links and even the driver controller crashing – needing it to restart. Each time, the Ryecroft Robotics team showed resilience and determination to succeed.
The team have come away with a greater insight of Engineering and Robotics. Although we are not in the automatic qualification spots, we are waiting to hear if we get chosen to compete at the national event. We came away with experience and the Motivate award for their gracious professionalism and determination to build better for the next opportunity.
The Head Ref provided feedback after the event saying that ‘every so often there is a team and/or individuals who just raise the level that little bit higher, it could be the gracious professionalism or their expressions when they achieve something that they didn’t think they could achieve and those moments stay with you, Ryecroft Robotics achieved that. Well Done’.