WVHS robotics team places 3rd overall at first competition of the season

The Warwick Valley High School Robotics Team competed at its first meet of the season at John Jay High School on December 7.

The team has been hard at work since the start of the school year, designing, building and programming their robot to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge competition. The robotics team is coached by WVHS teachers Andrew Warren, Ray Mark and Doreen Fothergill,  who meet with the team members just about every day after school. During the recent John Jay competition — led by team captains Riley Roberti, Abagail Foust and Owen Machingo — the Wildcats placed 3rd overall out of 27 teams.

With this early season success under its belt, the team is eager for the rest of the season!

“This year represents a whole new level of FTC and Warwick Valley Robotics,” said club president Riley. “For us, this isn’t only our best rank yet, but our best team yet!”

This year’s FIRST Tech Challenge involved creating a robot that could pick up small objects and either place them into a basket or attach a clip and hang them on a bar. Robots had to run autonomously for 30 seconds, followed by two minutes of “tele-op,” which is when a team member uses a video game controller to operate the robot. Teams played five matches, followed by a playoff round where the top six teams formed an alliance with a partner in a double elimination bracket.

The Wildcats designed and 3D-printed an intake system to pick up items. The team worked its way through 41 designs, applying the design engineering process to improve with each iteration. 

The Wildcats lost their first playoff matchup before winning three consecutive matches to make it all the way to the finals. The team narrowly missed a bid to the state tournament, dropping the title match to the alliance of Scarsdale and John Jay high schools. The Wildcats have another chance to qualify for the state tournament coming up soon, as there is another qualifier meet in Albany this January. Go, Wildcats!

The Wildcats were also awarded 2nd Place for the Innovate Award. This adjudicated award celebrates teams that think imaginatively and exhibit ingenuity, creativity and inventiveness in bringing their designs to life. Elements considered for this award include elegant design, robustness and ‘out of the box’ thinking.  

“Seeing our robotics program grow since our first season almost three years ago has been so exciting, and exciting to be a part of,” said Mr. Warren. “We have such a talented and innovative group of students. I am very proud of the hard work, creativity, and teamwork
they put in everyday.”

Besides attending their first competition of the season, the Wildcats have also been hard at work this fall learning more advanced programming, building, and design concepts. The team has also been developing its website (where they welcome sponsorships and donations, btw).

The team was also recently selected for a substantial grant from the Gene Haas Foundation, thanks to the diligent effort of Ms. Fothergill and Abagail Foust. The enthusiastic and driven members of the Robotics Team are a dedicated group of competitors who work hard to put their best, problem-solving designs forward and ensure that the club has what it needs to be competitive. And, as much fun as wins and titles are, the robotics students value the inspiration they find in their fellow programmers and builders even more than the competition. 

“Having seen a number of competitions over the last few years, the community around FTC and FIRST as a whole is truly astonishing,” said club secretary Abagail. “Getting the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life who have had the opportunity to come together in such a positive way is my biggest take away from competition.”