On 2nd March, Mr Alston and the Robotics team headed to Calderstones High School for the Regional Qualifying Tournament of the FIRST Tech Challenge. The team did incredibly well as when they first arrived the robot had not been finished and was experiencing some technical issues. They spent the morning taking the robot apart and putting it back together before being given the opportunity to explain the robot to the judges.
After a long morning, it was time for the heats! Teams partnered up in alliances in different games and tried to score the most points by picking up and moving game pieces to designated zones. For the Archbishop Temple Team, it was tough as the robot arm was still malfunctioning. However, due to some superb driving, the team still scored enough points to place 3rd on the leaderboard and compete in the regional finals. Here, they would partner up with another local school and go head-to-head in a best of 3 with two other schools. Unfortunately, this is where the luck ran out. The other schools won 2 rounds in a row, leaving ATS Robotics in (technically) second place.
The team went into the competition with a half-working bot and a plan to have a good time but came out with a trophy. They are already thinking ahead to next year and what to do to ensure they reach the national finals!
Robotics Club runs every Monday lunch in room 13 for anyone interested in joining.
Mr Alston
Teacher of Mathematics
