The Orcutt Academy High School robotics team recently returned from the Ventura Regional Competition March 24 through 26 at Ventura College, where the team earned a strong finish.
This year’s challenge, called FIRST Stronghold, had some defensive elements that wreaked havoc on the robots. Orcutt Academy’s team FIRST3512 Spartatroniks suffered a setback when its robot, Cressida, received some major fractures in its aluminum frame during the qualification matches, but the team rallied together to get the frame welded. On Saturday, another collision caused an electric motor to break free and drag on the floor while Cressida continued to compete.
These setbacks re-energized the team and when they returned to competition they found themselves climbing the rankings, according to the team’s advisor, Ty Fredriks. On Saturday, March 26, the team spent most of the day in the top 5 of 42 teams. “That’s a remarkable achievement given the robot was in multiple pieces just a day before,” Fredriks said in a press release.
More than 40 team members and mentors made the trip. FIRST3512 Spartatroniks made an incredible run to reach deep into the playoffs, Fredriks said. “While they came up a little short of the finals, they are proud of their accomplishments,” he said.
When the qualification matches ended, the team earned No. 3 seed. The playoff alliance selection began and they teamed up with Team 1538, The Holy Cows, and Team 4501, The Humans. They also partnered with Team 1266, The Devil Duckies, as The Humans suffered significant damage in the first semi-final round. The alliance was ultimately eliminated in the semi-final round.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2016.