Press Release
Berthoud, CO (Action-Works) February 7, 2010. Berthoud High School, Thompson School District’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) showcase school, played host to the 2010 Colorado VEX Championship. This robotics championship is an annual event brining the best in robotics competitors from middle schools and high schools around the state. At this event, Berthoud High School’s two teams rose to the challenge and captured three of the possible six awards with 14 teams competing.
The matches are played in alliances of two teams per side on a 12’ x 12’ field with four robots on the field at a time. This year’s theme was “Clean Sweep” and the goal was to move all the 50+ foam footballs/softballs onto the opponent’s half of the field. The elimination matches were crowd-pleasing, nail-biting close. The crowd went wild when one of Loveland High School’s robots was able to successfully right its tipped over alliance robot, which resulted in their winning that match. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was during the final rounds when one alliance, in a show of sportsmanship, gave its time-out to its opponents to fix a mechanical problem.
Berthoud won the Tournament Champions award (alliance that wins by score on the field – team 1069), the Programming Skills Award (preprogrammed robots completing the challenge with no driver – team 1069B), and finally the overall winner the Excellence Award (team showing both on the field and off the field excellence – team 1069B). Team 1069B members are Tyler Freiberg, Jonathon Harvell, Jess Angus, Trevor Von Seggern, Chad Schlagel, Team 1069 members are Clay Rayment, John Neuhalfen, Emily Birkmaier, and Tanner O’Leary. These winning teams now must find sponsors to get to the Championship of the Americas in Omaha and the World Championship in Dallas.
A real buzz was created over the four scholarships of $500 each, thanks to a grant from the Woodward Foundation in their continuing support of STEM education in Northern Colorado. This grant will assist in the start of brand new teams in schools that do not already have VEX robotics. Some spectators came specifically to evaluate the program to enhance STEM in their schools. More information can be found at http://vex.action-works.org. The deadline for applications is February 12.
Additionally the spectators were treated to demonstrations of the 3pi robot. This small robot platform is specifically designed to introduce “C” programming to students in a fun environment. The robot is designed to be a very fast line following robot. The program that is implemented in the robot (via C code) can make the robot follow and solve a maze and ultimately memorizie the directions for a very fast full speed solution at the end.
The 3pi is one of the Thompson School District’s Robotics summer camp offerings. This class, along with VEX camps and LEGO NXT Mindstorm camps will have something available for students from grade 6 – 12. The LEGO NXT camp is for students going into grade 6 – 8, the VEX camps is for students going into grade 7 – 9, and finally the 3pi camp is for students going into grade 9 – 12. More information on these camps is available at http://vex.action-works.org.
Photos by Kimberly Belford
Tournament Results
Team
Award Qualifies For:
1069B Panzerfaust – Berthoud High School – Berthoud
Excellence Award 2010 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship & VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
1826 The Fuse – Faith Christian Academy – Golden
Tournament Champions 2010 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship
1069 Heavy Metal – Berthoud High School – Berthoud
Tournament Champions VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
979 G.R.E.A.T – Grandview High School – Aurora
Tournament Finalists VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
1826C The Fuse – Faith Christian Academy – Golden
Tournament Finalists VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
974 Beauty and the Geeks – Bill Reed Middle School – Loveland
Judges Award
1826 The Fuse – Faith Christian Academy – Golden
Robot Skills Winner VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
1069B Panzerfaust – Berthoud High School – Berthoud
Programming Skills Winner VEX Robotics Championship of the Americas – HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION
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