Silent Bot Deadly had to be the cleverest.
Fatal Error, Sparticles and VEX Men weren’t too shabby themselves. To some, Nerd Nation may have been the best.
Puns on technological terms and odes to pop culture aside, there were creative team names aplenty at the 2014 VEX Robotics World Championship High School Division, a four-day competition concluding Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center.
About 800 elementary, middle and high school teams from Anaheim to Australia participated, bringing together roughly 10,000 children, teenagers, parents and coaches from around the world for the sheer love of technology and sport.
The winners will be named tonight.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to see these kids excited about something that could be their future,” said Denise Trenner, a fifth-grade teacher at Nohl Canyon Elementary School in Anaheim and coach of the team Robotic Roadrunners. “They’re going to make an impact on the world, collaboratively.
“These kids are learning how to solve problems given the parameters they have,” she added, “and it’s amazing to watch them grow.”
Nicole Martinez, a sixth-grader at Crescent Elementary School in Anaheim, said she needed some coaxing to join the school’s robotics team. She originally thought she wouldn’t like it, but her mother encouraged her to try.
On Friday, she and her teammates paraded around the center with streaks of their school colors – black and gold – painted on their faces.
“(Robotics) is really fun,” said Nicole, also sporting a face decal of a cougar, Crescent’s mascot. “You learn a lot about your team and about each other.”
The competition consisted of qualifying rounds during which a team’s robot is required to gather balls from a restricted area and then drop them into glass cases for points.
Each team roster designated drivers, designers and programmers. Together, they create the optimum robot and expectations.
Last month, Crescent’s two teams placed first and second at the VEX Robotics State Championship.
“We might not be the best (at the championships),” said Michael Batchev, a driver for Crescent, “but we’re still really good.”
Yorba Middle School coach Jami Cabase said his team is using the same robot it used last year, adding that the “evolution of design” improved the robot’s programming and construction.
He said constant tinkering with the robot is inevitable.
“It’s hard to tell kids to stop using their brain,” Cabase said.
“Our ultimate goal is not just to create something that scores balls,” Cabase said. “It’s to show kids the tools of technology, get them feeling comfortable using them, and have fun doing it.”
To find the winners and future events, go to robotevents.com/2014-vex-robotics-high-school-world-championship.html.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3790 or bwhitehead@ocregister.com
