High School Robotics team wins in St. Louis
March 26, 2009
Wentzville School District
The Ratchet Rockers, a group of 29 students from Timberland and Holt High Schools, won the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) St. Louis Regional Event March 19 – 21 at Chaifetz Arena, on the campus of St. Louis University.
“We’re still walking on clouds, it was amazing,” said sponsor Diane Moran. “I have to give all of the credit to the kids and the mentors, they really made it happen.”
The competition combines math and science with the excitement of sport to create a unique and challenging event. The 2009 competition is called “lunacy,” but it requires some real-world problem solving skills. Timberland senior and Co-captain Clayton Kolkmeier said, “I’m planning on going into engineering, and this gives me a chance to get hands-on experience. I’ve also met some kids who I’ve been friends with all though high school.”
Students were challenged to construct a robot that could pull a payload trailer, and score points by depositing “Orbit Balls” in opposing team’ payload trailers.
“This year has been far better than in the past,” said Joe Hoing, also a Timberland senior and Co-captain. “All of our parts work, and our programming is much more sophisticated than before.” It’s a great opportunity for the students to learn from engineering and technology mentors, who spend countless hours during the six-week construction phase helping the team prepare for the event. David White, a mentor (and Boeing engineer), said “My daughter is on the team, and she’s having a great time. I like getting kids excited about math and science, and I enjoy seeing the kids gain confidence and knowledge.”
Thirty-six teams from throughout the Midwest competed in the three-day event, and the Ratchet Rockers, along with partner teams from Indiana and Arkansas, earned the right to compete in the FRC Championship in Atlanta on April 16 – 18, 2009.
Copyright 2009 Neighbors About Town
