“Not afraid to rebuild the team”

After reentering the competitive scene this year, the Aragon Robotics Team (ART) recently participated in the Silicon Valley Regional Tournament (SVR) and qualified for the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Missouri from April 26 to 28.

At the Silicon Valley Regional Tournament (SVR) on March 30 and 31, ART won the Engineering Award which included $5,000 from NASA to enter the FIRST Championship. Senior Crystal Cheung said, “Having attended the Sacramento Regional in Davis, California a few weeks earlier, we knew the game and what sort of strategies to take on.”

ART advisor, Steve Ratto said, “They have qualifying rounds, where they compete in teams of three in the “Rebound Rumble” Competition. They get judged on points, points scored, getting their bot to do certain things, like when it stops on a teetering seesaw.”

He added, “They have what they call an autonomous stage, which is where it’s all computer-programmed beforehand. And they also have a user phase, where they have to be checked beforehand and pass inspection.”

Senior Ivan Wang said, “Matches were more fast-paced and more action-packed than the ones we saw at previous tournaments. There was great diversity in design and looks of robots, although they seemed to have a common thread.”

After these stages, the ART qualified to move forward to the quarterfinals and elimination rounds. Ratto says, “They were chosen on an alliance, where they team up with two other groups and then become a team to try and win the finals. What happened with them was that unfortunately, they got knocked out in the elimination rounds and seeded 23 out of 50.”

Wang comments “Advancing to World Championships came as a huge surprise to us. I remember feeling skeptical as the announcement of the award began; but this feeling quickly turned to pride and joy when I realized we truly had the opportunity to attend Championships. I felt extremely proud of my teammates who had helped make this dream come true, and closer to them than ever before.”

Senior Sophia Wienbar agrees, “I personally did not expect to advance to World through SVR and I think that everyone else on the team would agree with me. Our team is not necessarily known for being very strong on the field but this year we totally rocked and it was amazing.”

This year’s success is partly credited to last year’s ART team. Co-advisor of the ART Jennifer Wei says, “I think that the success of the team comes largely from the leadership. We were lucky to have a group of students who were not afraid to rebuild the team.”

She adds, “Last year, the seniors were really generous in that they decided not to compete. They really took it for the team. They put their disappointment aside, and I think it’s that idea that what we do is built on the backs of people who came before us; that’s very important.”

Wei also says, “Over the course of the last two years, the team has gone from not competing at all and rebuilding and struggling to exist on campus to winning an inspiration award at the Silicon Valley Regional.”

Cheung adds, “The last couple of years for our team have been rough. Last year we didn’t compete due to issues finding a new teacher advisor. Our team started off as not a team at all but slowly through our six week build season and slaving over this robot, we’ve all grown. We’ve grown in relationship as well as skill.”

Wang says, “Though my mind still reels over how much we have accomplished, I know that it was the result of the determination and hard work of students, mentors, and teachers alike. Now having pulled through the hardships, we are ready to face our final competition of the year.”