The Wired Boars compete at the FIRST Robotics Competition.
Choate’s robotics program is built upon the School’s abundance of talented students and faculty. The Wired Boars, Choate’s robotics team, has had a highly competitive and successful season. So far, the team has competed in two out of the four annual competitions, placing second in their first competition and third in their second competition.
The team’s first competition took place in Massachusetts, right before spring break. Garrett Curtis ’24, a member of the robotics team, mentioned that the team experienced some malfunctions with their robot, which jeopardized their potential for first place overall at the competition. However, Curtis shared that “[the] Pit crew kept the robot working, [the] scouting team made excellent picks, and [the] drivers did pretty well as well.” Their strong collaboration allowed for a successful start to the season.
The next competition, spanning two days, took place in Hartford during the first weekend of April. On the first day, the robot broke and underperformed all of its tasks. In spite of the malfunctions, the team managed to advance to the second stage of the competition. The second day was much more promising.
The team successfully completed this task for the first time, and Sherry Li ’23 said, “We have a mechanism on our robot that allows us to go under another partner and climb them without actually having to be on an elevated platform. We are the only team in New England that does that.” Completing this climb was both Li’s and Curtis’s favorite memory so far this season, and it brought the team to a third-place finish, redeeming them from the setbacks they faced on the first day of the competition.
Li recalled the whole arena cheering for them and the proud faces of her teammates.
Most recently the team attended the DCMP, a district championship that acts as a qualifying stage for the First Robotics Competition World Championship. Curtis stated, “Last year, our main goal was to qualify for worlds, and we achieved that, so I think we’re aiming a little bit higher than that. We really just want to make Einstein’s, which is what the upper division is called.” The team has been working hard each day to perfect their mechanics and ensure that they have the best possible chances to succeed in crucial competitions.
The Choate Robotics Team has made tremendous progress both over this season and the past few years. Li, who joined the team as a fifth-former, said that she has witnessed tremendous growth despite having been on the team for only two years. Choate Robotics is continuously innovating and has a bright future ahead of them.
