By Scott D. Johnston
For GH Newspaper Group
In the world of organized high school robotics competitions, it may be that size doesn’t really matter. Smarts and savvy seem to be the secrets of success.
How else to explain that members of the 4-H Ocosta “Fishy Business Inc.” team from Ocosta Junior/Senior High School in Westport crushed the competition, are preparing for the ultimate battle at a world championship event next month and already have an impressive world record atop their stellar stats?
The Fishy Business team, with seven students and three adult mentors, finished second among 73 teams from 14 states at the FIRST Tech Challenge West Super Regional event at the Tacoma Convention Center March 11. That makes them one of five teams from Washington state and 128 overall that will battle it out at the FTC World Championships to be held April 19-22 in Houston, Texas.
But now they need the community’s help to make the final chapter of their quest come true. Mentor Joe Prieur, whose daughter, Kaylie, is part of a trio of seniors leading the team, has started a Gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/FTC11121Worlds. The team is a little over three-quarters of the way to its goal of $13,000, which means they can afford to send at least three students plus mentors on the six-day trip. The goal, of course, is to raise enough to send the entire team.
The competitions are staged by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization that seeks to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST operates four global after-school programs for grades K-12. The FIRST Tech Challenge for grades 7-12 is the third level.
Each year brings a different set of parameters and objectives for the robotics competitions. Each team starts with a kit that resembles a glorified erector set and a 100-page manual that explains it all. There are no specific blueprints for the robotic device to be built, and teams can fabricate parts along the way.
The competition is judged on multiple elements, including an autonomous section that tests successful programming, a section on the teams’ log books that have been kept since the first team meetings, and the actual robot vs. robot competitions.
Strategy and cooperation are also key elements as the event involves two teams pairing up and working to each others’ strengths. It was in that setting that the Fishy Business “roboteers” and a team from Pleasant Hill, Calif., combined to set a world record.
“Everything went perfect”
Senior Aaron Doull said scores at the Super Regional level were mostly in the range of 150-200 points. The existing record of 300 points was eclipsed with a 305 score early in the event at Tacoma. But the Ocosta/Pleasant Hill alliance blew the competition away with a stunning 350 points. Junior Kaden Smith said it was a match where “the synergy with our partner was great, and everything went perfect.”
The Ocosta team got started in mid-September and actually lost its first competition eight weeks later. Eighteen straight wins then followed as they progressed through four levels of competition. The World FTC event is the fifth and final level.
While all seven members of the team are able to put their robotic vehicle nicknamed “The Bullfish” through its paces, some are also specialists. Senior Enapay Croy who has been doing robotics for three years said he likes building, testing and adjusting. He said many elements have been refined, sometimes replaced, as The Bullfish has continued to evolve via competition.
All three seniors said their experiences with robotics and the Fishy Business team have helped them choose careers they intend to pursue after graduating this year. That will leave three freshmen to carry on the Fishy Business tradition: Samatha Starkey, Evan Smith and Markay Williams.
More information on the Ocosta team is available online at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FTC11121/.
Ocosta Junior/Senior High School’s “Fishy Business” robotics team practicing in anticipation of their trip next month to the World Championship event in Houston. Pictured from left are Enapay Croy, Aaron Doull, Evan Smith, Kaylie Prieur, Samatha Starkey and Kaden Smith. (SCOTT D. JOHNSTON PHOTO)
