It's a good thing that the kids really like robotics because we are going to be spending a lot of time with VEX IQ this year. Both kids recently had their first tournament of the season, and since we are doing both middle and elementary robotics this was an all-day affair. And, yes, we are still the only teams south of the Atlanta area, so we have to drive a long way to even be able to compete.
Olivia is on the middle school team this year, and it is much more involved than the elementary team. The kids do EVERYTHING (design, build, program, troubleshoot, strategize, etc) themselves at the middle school level. The middle school has six robots, and Olivia is on robot Z. Robot Z is special because it is the "girl-powered" bot purchased with a grant. Her team, therefore, is made up mostly (60%) of girls. All of the kids on her team work well together. Their robot performed pretty well at competition. There are some things they plan to change, but it went well overall. They had a solid middle-of-the-pack finish. During the awards ceremony, they learned that they had won the Judge's Award based on their team interview and notebook. The judges noted that their team exhibited great teamwork and creativity. This is the first time that either of my kids have won a trophy at a competition, so Olivia was over the moon. Another of the middle school teams won the whole thing and two teams qualified for state. It was a great day for the Robogators.
After a the middle school competition, it was time to watch Owen and the elementary team. The elementary team had four robots competing at this tournament. Unfortunately, things did not go so well for Robot A (Owen's bot). They just could not catch a break. There were some glitches with the bot and they had terrible luck with alliance matches. They finished at the back of the pack- which was definitely unexpected. They are determined, however, to fix the robot, regroup, and try again. While this is not the start we wanted, we could still have a great season- and that's what we're hoping for.
Olivia is on the middle school team this year, and it is much more involved than the elementary team. The kids do EVERYTHING (design, build, program, troubleshoot, strategize, etc) themselves at the middle school level. The middle school has six robots, and Olivia is on robot Z. Robot Z is special because it is the "girl-powered" bot purchased with a grant. Her team, therefore, is made up mostly (60%) of girls. All of the kids on her team work well together. Their robot performed pretty well at competition. There are some things they plan to change, but it went well overall. They had a solid middle-of-the-pack finish. During the awards ceremony, they learned that they had won the Judge's Award based on their team interview and notebook. The judges noted that their team exhibited great teamwork and creativity. This is the first time that either of my kids have won a trophy at a competition, so Olivia was over the moon. Another of the middle school teams won the whole thing and two teams qualified for state. It was a great day for the Robogators.
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