The Harding Robotics season has come to a more than successful end with 1 out of 4 teams qualifying to go to the State Championship, putting them in the top 68 VEX teams out of eleven hundred in Ohio. Literally insane.
Harding’s Robotics program is an extracurricular, competitive team sport. Every year, each team gets a new game to play competitively. The games usually involve picking things up or moving/stacking things, but it's different every year. For example, this year involved stacking rings and balancing objects on platforms.
So, teams have to build a robot from scratch, program it to play the game independently, and also drive it and play the game as a driver. Dang, I can barely get out of bed in the morning.
By the end of the season, Harding actually had the 41st highest score in the state. Awesome, blossom! However, it was not enough to qualify for The VEX World Competition.
It's a little more relaxed than a traditional varsity sport due to the fact that it's stretched out over the whole year. So, instead of having a really intense single season, it stretches out for 2 or 3 seasons worth of time.
Though this seems like a large commitment, the program is extremely flexible. At the beginning of the season, a consultation is held to work around students’ schedules. So, it's a great program for students who participate in multiple activities.
Another interesting aspect of the program is that it compacts a lot of different skills. Not only does it focus on the building elements of robotics, but it also highlights the programming/software, as well as the social side.
For example, when you compete, you are randomly assigned with other teams. This means you have to be able to find other teams, work with them, and then compete in the final tournament.
You also get interviewed by judges, so you have to run a presentation and document what you’re doing as well.
Since there are a lot of different skill groups, even if you’re someone who wants to be involved but maybe you’re not really good at building things, there are about 5 other jobs you can do.
Something else to note is that you don’t need ANY prior experience to participate. If you’re a junior right now, you could literally walk in as a senior and still have a successful team. Of course, engineering classes would help, but it is not required in any way at all.
Robotics is also really good for college references. If you’re applying to a college program, a lot of them want to see practical projects/skills. It's basically a nice way of being like, “I actually did a real thing, I promise!”
With all that being said, for anyone who wants to get involved next year, the season starts at the beginning of the year and runs until around March. Practices are after school until the year progresses.
For more information, contact Mr. Schmidt (aschmidt@mcspresidents.org) or visit the Media Center. Who doesn’t want to join? You’re building a robot!
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