The robotics club, Slice, at FVHS competed in its fifth season of the robotics competition. Members have worked for weeks to design, build and program their robots for this year’s competition.
The team’s first event of the season was the Wake County District Event, which was held March 6-8. During this event, teams from across North Carolina brought their robots and competed in matches throughout the weekend. Events like these allow teams to show their designs, learn from others and experience the energy of robotics competitions.
This year, the competition took place at Heritage High School, where teams from across the region gathered to compete.
“I’m excited about seeing all the other team’s robots and what they built, alongside seeing how competitive we will be,” said junior Caraline Kruger, a member of Slice.
Every year, teams in the competition are given a new game where robots must complete a specific task on a large field. Teams only have a limited amount of time to design and build their robots before competition begins. Because of this, robotics teams spend many hours preparing so their robots can perform well during matches.
Members of Slice met after school to work on different parts of the robot. Some members focused on building the structure and mechanical parts, while others worked on programming the robot so it can move and complete the tasks. Another group worked on electrical systems and making sure everything runs safely and smoothly.
“The biggest challenge was the ice storm, which caused us to lose two weeks of our already limited build time,” said Kruger.
Preparing for a robotics competition requires strong teamwork. Members must communicate clearly and solve problems quickly if something goes wrong. Sometimes a small issue with a part or code can stop the robot from working, so teams must test their robots many times and make improvements.
Robotics competitions are fun to watch. During each match, teams form alliances with other robots and compete together against another alliance. The robots must complete tasks and score points while teams watch closely and make quick decisions.
“It is exciting but nerve racking. The fifth season is always the hardest for FRC teams because all of the original members have now graduated,” said Kruger.
For members of Slice, robotics is more than just building a robot. It also helps them learn skills like leadership, engineering and problem solving.
At the end of the competition, Slice earned the Quality Award in the first Robotics competition, recognizing the team’s strong robot design and build quality. The award highlighted the team dedication, teamwork and the many hours spent preparing their robots for the matches. The team will continue competing in upcoming district events as the season moves forward.
