Teams practice with their robots (le ) as others participate in the robotics tournament (right) held in the Winter Ex.
Choate hosted its first home robotics tournament on February third. Competing against 45 different teams, Choate’s eight robotics teams performed strongly. In the elimination round, three Choate teams finished on semifinalist alliances and two teams were on quarterfinalist alliances. The team competed for champion, finalist, and semi-finalist positions. However, they also hoped that a robot would qualify for Southern New England Championship.
Competitors came from around Connecticut, including teams from the Northfield Mount Herman School and Down Cellar Robotics. The majority of teams, however, were from public high schools in the area.
There are 45 members of the Choate Robotics team, and there are eight sub-teams comprised of five-six students each, and, therefore, eight robots. This tournament was the first time all eight of their teams competed, some of which were only created this year. Robotics team captain Katrina Gonzalez ’17 said she “was especially impressed with the teams that were created this year.” She continued, “All of the new members have picked up on techniques and designs quickly, and they’ve all been eager to learn.” Mr. Kyle Di Tieri, science teacher and robotics coach, agreed: “I am proud of every member’s performance.”
Choate was encouraged to host this tournament because the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) foundation, which sponsors Vex Robotics, is looking for more teams, more robots, and more competitors at Southern New England Championship. “The more competitions allow for more qualifying robots, but also provide more opportunity for teams to learn from each other and build better quality robots,” explained Mr. Di Tieri.
Mr. Andrew Murgio, also a coach of Choate Robotics, arranged the logistics of the tournament through the Connecticut Technology Engineering Education Association (CTEEA), which coordinates all Vex Robotics tournaments in Connecticut. Mr. Murgio also reached out to the School for student and faculty volunteers at the tournament, and he coordinated with SAGE for food for the tournament.
This tournament was one of eight regional tournaments Choate Robotics was meant to attend. However, due to canceling and lack of robots, Choate has attended five thus far. The team can end up having a tournament nearly every weekend in the winter term. “This makes logistics and preparation difficult, but which also adds a sense of vitality to the team. The frequent competitions are something that we look forward to rather than shy away from,” said Gonzalez.
The robotics team feels it benefited from competing at home. Katrina Gonzalez ’17 said, “There was a level of excitement at the Choate tournament, one spurred by having so many friends and faculty come to show their support, that I’ve never seen in a tournament outside of our own.”
Jack Kim ’17, a volunteer whose job was to reset the skills field between rounds, felt this excited air as well. “It was heartbreaking when the robots didn’t function properly,” he said. “You could see the clear disappointment when something went wrong.”
This excitement may have contributed to the overall competitive feeling of the tournament as well. Jack Kim ’17 said, “Everyone on the skills field gets three tries: three tries for driving skills and three tries for programming skills.” He continued, “Almost every team came back every time to try again for each skill.”
Mr. Di Tieri, Mr. Murgio, and the robotics team hope to host more home tournaments in future years. “I both expect and hope that Choate will continue to host robotics tournaments,” said Gonzalez. She explained, “Not only does it solidify the School’s position as having one of the more comprehensive Vex robotics programs in Connecticut, but it also shows the students that are committed to the Choate Robotics team that Choate is similarly committed to supporting the robotics team.”
No matter the outcome, Mr. Di Tieri believes that the point of hosting a home tournament and competing in general is about more than just the success of the team at these tournaments. “I couldn’t have been prouder of how our teams handled their successes and failures that day. This team is about the love of robotics and learning engineering and design along the way. One does not learn simply by winning, but also through losing. I sense that our team has come out much stronger and I look forward to their performance at future tournaments.”
