Abby Voth, Junior
Maddie Freeman, Senior
*updated*
World Competition
Cybersonics Team 103 had the privilege of traveling to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Competition in Detroit, Michigan from April 23rd to 28th. Team 103 was inducted into the FIRST Robotics Hall of Fame in 2003, which allows them to travel to the world competition every year. The award is granted to one team every year at Worlds for having outstanding outreach programs as well as continued initiatives to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) ideals in their local communities. Since Cybersonics was installed into the Hall of Fame, they do not need to qualify for the competition; however, this year, the team was ranked high enough and qualified on their own. This was a huge accomplishment as the team strives to earn their place every year.
At Worlds, Cybersonics members were able to interact with students on the international and national level. The event itself holds over 400 teams and they are all divided into six different match fields. Team 103 was on the field titled “Darwin” as all the fields are named after famous scientists. On Darwin, there were 68 other teams competing over the course of the event. After two long days of qualification matches, Cybersonics was ranked 8th out of the total 68 teams. At the end of qualifications, the top 8 teams pick three other teams to
join them as an alliance for moving to the playoff rounds. Over the course of Team 103’s twenty-three-year life span, they have never been ranked in the top 8 at worlds. This was a
huge accomplishment as a whole, especially for the group of students that drive and
operate the robot. Audrey Craig, Arden Taylor, Katelyn Richter, Mackenzie Wright, Colt Richardson, Grace Eisenhart, and Erich Gerstlauer are all on Team 103’s drive team and lead three other teams in the playoff rounds. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated during the quarterfinal matches, but the alliance that they were defeated by went on to win the whole competition, proving the challenge.
Overall, the entire competition was a huge success. Not only did Team 103 make team history, but they networked and met with robotics teams from Canada, Israel, China, Indonesia, and nearly all fifty states. Students were able to attend the Innovation Fair, where huge companies such as Boeing, GM Motors, and NASA had representatives and spokespersons to talk to students and teach them about all the amazing things their organizations are doing. Additionally, students met with college representatives and attended workshops for college preparation in robotics and engineering. Overall, this experience provided numerous opportunities for networking and education that Cybersonics students would not have received anywhere else.
The World event draws Team 103’s 2019 competition season to a close. Over the course of the last few months, Cybersonics competed in the playoffs at every competition in addition to winning three awards: Gracious Professionalism, Innovation in Engineering, and Entrepreneurship. The seniors on the team gave tearful speeches at the dinner shared on the last night of the trip as they thanked mentors and students alike for providing and creating such amazing opportunities over the course of their time as members of Cybersonics. Team 103 is so proud of their 2019 season as they accomplished so much and continue to break records and teach students about the wonders of STEM education, as well as provide numerous opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship
On April fourth through sixth, Palisades High School’s FIRST Robotics team, Cybersonics, competed in the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship located at Lehigh University. Working against 59 other teams, Cyberonics ranked 16th after the 120 qualification matches. The team won six matches and lost six resulting in a placement under the top eight. During alliance picking, the seventh seated team, Pirates, chose 103 to join them. The alliance was completed with Spartechs being the third pick. After the qualification matches against the second place alliance, Cybersonics and its alliance was out of the game. However, the judges awarded the team with the Entrepreneurship Award for their outstanding business plan. Team 103, Cybersonics, qualified to go to the FIRST World Championship in Detroit, Michigan on April 24th to 27th.
Throughout the three days of competition, teams worked and competed to keep their robots together and their rank high. Special guests such as Governor Tom Wolfe arrived to support the teams and STEM advancement. Wolfe was given the usual two and a half minute match to play by himself with no other robots on the field. He used TechFire’s, team 225, robot to score cargo, place hatches, and climb the steps. Along with Governor Wolfe, Palisade High School’s Principal and Vice Principal, Richard Heffernan and Amber Schlosser, arrived at Lehigh University to support Cybersonics. Their arrival was in good time as they were able to witness Cybersonics, and two other robots, accumulate the highest score, with no penalty points, of all 120 matches.
Hatboro-Horsham
On March 2nd to 3rd, Team 103, also known as Cybersonics, competed at Hatboro-Horsham High School. After the 70 qualification matches, Cybersonics finished in second place, thus allowing them to create their own alliance. Placing in the top eight allows those teams to create their own alliance, where they pick from the remaining teams and then continue to compete through quarter and semi finals, just like our Cybersonics team did. From the teams, they chose team 5895 Peddie School Robotics and 4652 Ironmen 2. This alliance lost in both the quarter finals, however, Cybersonics was able to gain 41 points in the Mid-Atlantic District ranking, which decides if the team can continue on to the championship. Although they did not leave with a blue flag or medal, team 103 won the Excellence in Engineering Award which is selected by the judges during the event. Along with a team award, the lead manufacturing mentor, Carlos Reckner, was nominated for the Woodie Flowers Award. The team had one more competition to attend before the Districts championship, which occurred this past weekend.
March 16th to 17th, Cybersonics attended the competition at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Since there were only 31 teams at Springside, the amount of qualification matches were 62 instead of the usual 70, which were at Hatboro. Cybersonics finished the first day being tied for first; however, after some alliance mistakes, they dropped to third. Luckily they remained in the top eight, so they went through the alliance picking process again. The finalized alliance was team 747 Flight Crew, 7414 PV Robotics, and of course, Cybersonics, team 103. In the quarter finals, Cybersonics unfortunately experienced technical faults for the first minute of both matches resulting in a loss for the three teams. Despite this, they won another judges’ award: Gracious Professionalism. Team 103 ended the weekend by gaining 39 Mid-Atlantic points from Springside Chestnut Hill.
For most FIRST teams, they need to win at the District or Regional championships to move on to the FIRST championship held in either Detroit, MI or Houston, TX. However, when a team wins Chairman’s, a prestigious award which places the team in the FIRST Hall of Fame, they are invited to the championship no matter how they place. Since Cybersonics won Chairman’s in 2003, they have successfully attended the Championship every year thereafter. Cybersonics team 103 will be attending the FIRST championship in Detroit this year from April 24th to 27th!
Throughout the month of March, Palisades High School’s FIRST robotics team, Cybersonics, has spent two weekends at competitions where they were challenged from anywhere between 30 to 35 other teams to win. Organized into an alliance with two other teams, they directly compete with an opposing alliance. Earning ranking points through covering compartments with “hatches”, placing “cargo” (balls) into said compartments, climbing steps of different heights, and thus, winning by gaining more points than the opposing alliance, every team hopes to be ranked first after the hefty 60 to 70 qualification matches. From the top eight alliances, only one will win. In the finals, the two alliances that have successfully passed through both quarter and semi finals, battle to win the competition. If a team has gained a sufficient amount of ranking points, like the Cybersonics team, they will continue from the district events to the district final. Fortunately, the Cybersonics team is ranked tenth out of 132 teams, giving them a great chance of attending the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship on April fourth to sixth.
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