Robotics Team Begins Competition Season

The East Sargon Robotics Team celebrated the beginning of their competition season on Jan. 5 with orange juice, fruit and donuts. They call it a kick off, it happens every year. The whole robotitcs team gathers in one room around 8:30 to learn the rules of their upcoming competition.

“We bring breakfast foods and eat for an hour, then at 9:30 we watch the NASA TV channel,” said Nash Reimer, President of the Robotics Club. “They give us an animated video of what they expect us to do and what the field looks like and then they demonstrate what the robots should do.”

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is the organization that prepares the robotics tournaments for robotics teams around the nation. The Sargon Robotics Team spends six weeks preparing for these competitions, starting on kick off day.

The NASA video explains what the robots goals are at competition. Each year, the students are required to program their robots to complete certain tasks while navigating a course.

“This year, they said the main event is frisbees,” said club sponsor Vincent Miller. “So you can throw frisbees, pick up frisbees or dump frisbees.”

The club’s competition is in March and in the meantime they will be meeting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and working in groups to finish their robot for their tournament.