HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Number two seeded alliance knocks off number one seeded alliance in only two rounds after two intense days of competition. Robotics team 1501 – Team THRUST from Huntington, Indiana, robotics team 234 – Cyber Blue from Indianapolis, Indiana, and team 2197 – Las Pumas from New Carlisle, Indiana have emerged as champions from the Perry Meridian Robotics Event. In order to win, these teams were required to face almost 40 other teams from across Indiana in a series of qualification matches. The stellar performance put up by Team 1501 – Team THRUST from Huntington, Indiana put them as captain of the number two seeded alliance. From this position they picked 234 – Cyber Blue from Indianapolis, Indiana and 2197 – Las Pumas from New Carlisle, Indiana as alliance partners.
These teams’ successful performance put them high on the overall season performance rankings to qualify for the State Championship. After this event, Cyber Blue is ranked #1, Team THRUST is ranked #5 and Las Pumas is #8. Now these three teams, along with 29 other qualifiers, will compete at the State Championship April 7th and 8th in Huntington, IN. Based on total season performance following the State Championship, the top 10 teams in the state will qualify for the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, MO in late April.
The teams going to state championship are now established. From there the list will be reduced even more to select teams good enough to go to worlds.
Haley Sellhorn is a sophomore on Cyber Blue (Perry Meridian) and is on the drive team. Haley said “It was great to compete at our home school, because that allowed a lot of support from Perry students who could learn and experience FIRST and be able to cheer us on”. Gage Barton is Cyber Blue’s driver and one of the team leaders. Gage added “FIRST Robotics Competitions have allowed me to explore new areas of STEM that I otherwise would not have had the ability to participate in. It has been exciting to attend events and meet people from all over the world.”
Chris Fultz is a Program Director at Rolls-Royce and a mentor for Cyber Blue and he was part of the planning committee for the event. “It was great to be able to compete at our school. All year long we get tremendous support from the school and the township staff and that really showed in the way the needs for this competition were met. It was exciting to see so many younger students from the community come to the competition and see the robots.”
Jacob a junior on team 1501 said, “This year is my first year as a member of the drive team. Before the first competition I had no idea what it was going to be like playing in a match. The first match I played we dropped every gear. From then to now the matches have changed so much. We went from not even being able to get gears to having almost every match we played having all 4 rotors. Seeing how much we have improved from the first competition really makes me wonder what else we can do to improve.”
Doug a mentor on team 1501 said, “It has been enjoyable to watch the kids progress from being shadows to being leaders on the team. Their level of dedication when they become the leaders is really impressive.
Missy a first year mentor for team 1501 said, “I have been excited to learn what all goes into a robotics competition. Building the robot is a big deal and a big chunk of time. However, at the competitions you learn the importance of other jobs like public speaking, scouting, strategy, safety, and team spirit to name a few. This is when the talents of other students can really shine. What other “sport” can encompass such a wide range of talents and skills? Robotics has that. You can be mechanical, artistic, a problem solver, a strategist, a photographer, safety minded, driver, cheerleader, electrical, videographer, and so much more! I have enjoyed being a mentor and learning just as much as the students. In fact they teach me more than I mentor them!”
This event wouldn’t have been possible without support from the following 2017 FRC® Indiana District Perry Meridian Event & IndianaFIRST State-Wide Sponsors: AndyMark, Rolls-Royce, Renaissance Electronic Services, University of Indianapolis, Perry Meridian High School, Rarebird, Software Engineering Professionals, Dow AgroSciences, MTD, Allfuses.com, 80/20, Inc., Allied Automation, Barnes & Thornburg, Cook, Cargill, Amazon, Raytheon, & Homeadvisor.com.
LINKS
About Team 1501 Team THRUST
http://huntingtonrobotics.org/
About Team 234 Cyber Blue
http://cyberblue234.com/
About Team 2197 Las Pumas
https://www.laspumas2197.org/
2017 Ranking – IN District
Teams qualified for the Indiana State District Championship
http://frc-districtrankings.
2017 Event Detail – IN District – Perry Meridian Event
http://frc-districtrankings.
2017 Event Information – IN District – Perry Meridian Event
https://frc-events.
Other events this season:
http://50.196.210.225/
Additionally here is a link to some story angle ideas for coverage of these robotic competitions.
Story Angles For Robotics Competitions:http://50.196.
FIRST FAQ posted at this link:http://www.firstinspires.
FIRST Press Room posted at this link: http://www.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, who introduced the IBOT Mobility System and the Segway® Human Transporter (HT), FIRST was created to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and their communities. The FIRST Robotics Competition anticipates over 3,100 teams in the U.S. and 24 countries worldwide to compete in 53 Regional Events and 65 District Events. Thousands of students will compete at the district, state and regional events to earn a spot at the World Championship to be held April 27-30 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO.
“FIRST isn’t about competing, it’s about cooperating, and recognizing that if you have the right tools, you’ll be able to make this world a better place for yourself and for the country,” said Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research and Development and FIRST Founder, adding, “There is no stimulus package that will have as much return as stimulating a bunch of kids to become the workforce of the future, the problem solvers, the creators of the future.”
This season, participating FIRST students are eligible to apply for more than $50 million in scholarships being made available by nearly 200 scholarship providers.
About FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $25 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.firstinspires.
About IndianaFIRST
IndianaFIRST is an organization dedicated to growing FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs in the state of Indiana. FIRST is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform our culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. Founded in the fall of 2001 as the Indiana-based affiliate of FIRST, IndianaFIRST brings FIRST programming to students in grades K-12, teaching them hands-on skills in engineering, science, and technology that they can relate back to their class work. Kids compete against other kids in district, state, and world championship competitions in what is frequently called “The Super Bowl of Smarts.”