Robotics: After regional alliance win, Secret City Wildbots will compete in World Finals in Houston

 

Information and photos submitted by Angi Agle

KNOXVILLE—After a regional alliance win in Knoxville on Saturday, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April.

The Wildbots finished the qualification rounds ranked number eight at Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee. That made the Wildbots a team captain, eligible to select two more teams for their alliance.

However, captains select their alliance partners in the first round, with the highest-ranked team picking first. Team 2614, MARS (Mountain Area Robotics) of Morgantown, West Virginia, was the number one seed and selected Team 4265 (the Secret City Wildbots) as their first alliance pick.

The two then agreed upon Team 4306, the Robo Komodos of Franklin, Tennessee, as their third alliance partner.

The playoffs consisted of a best-two-out-of-three competition in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The number one alliance of MARS, Wildbots, and Robo Komodos won the first two of each, negating the need for a third match in any of the elimination rounds.

With the win, all three teams are eligible to compete at the World Finals in April, which has now been divided between Detroit and Houston. The Wildbots and Robo Komodos will compete in Houston, with MARS going to Detroit (based on geography).

In addition, the Wildbots again won the Engineering Inspiration award, winning the $5,000 entry fee paid by NASA. Crowning a most excellent weekend, Wildbot Eric Thornton was one of two Dean’s List nominees. The overall winner will be selected at the World Finals.

Fifty teams competed in last week’s competition, the 2018 Smoky Mountains Regional. You can see the list of award winners here.

 

Here is more information from an article by Lisa Buckner:

From Thursday, March 22, through Saturday, March 24, the Secret City Wildbots (Team 4265) competed at the Smoky Mountain Regional competition at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. After completing 10 qualification matches, Team 4265 ranked eighth in a field of 51 teams. Mars (Team 2614) the number one seated alliance captain, chose Team 4265 and the RoboKomodos (Team 4306) from Franklin, Tennessee, to compete with them in the playoffs, where they went undefeated. Team 4265 finished the competition with a 14-2 record, winning the Smoky Mountain Regional with their alliance partners and earning an invitation to the FIRST World Championships in Houston, Texas, April 18-21, 2018.

For the third time, The Secret City Wildbots won the Engineering Inspiration award and $5,000 from NASA to cover their entry fee to the competition. This award celebrates Team 4265’s outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within our school and community. The judges cited as evidence our Robotics Lab-in-a-Box partnership with Roane State Foundation, which has placed nine Lab-in-a-Box kits in the hands of middle school teachers in rural East Tennessee counties, as well as their collaborative organization of the Robo Rodeo at the Tennessee Valley Fair in September. This event allowed FIRST Robotics teams to compete in the off-season with the year’s challenges.

Eric Thornton, a junior at Oak Ridge High School for Team 4265, was a Dean’s List Finalist. Eric will compete at the championships with other regional winners for the FIRST Dean’s List award. This award celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary. This is the third Dean’s List Finalist to come from Team 4265 in seven years.

The Secret City Wildbots have been working to build their robot Mantis and prepare for their regional competitions since January 6, 2018. It is evident from the accomplishments that their hard work has paid off.

In addition to students from Oak Ridge High School, two students from Oliver Springs High School joined Team 4265 this year.

Please join us in congratulating our seniors—Andrew Chan, Eli Charles, Ruth Hammond, Olivia Mahathy, Connor Shelander, Caden Webb, and Dalton Wilson—and underclassmen members: Brennan Brooks, Ty Dahl, Dalton Davis, Faith Guzman, Blake Norris, Levi Parish, Mack Patrick, Julia Steele, Eric Thornton, and Matthew Wood.

The team is grateful for the support of many sponsors, including Bechtel, UT-Battelle, Roane State Foundation, Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, Leidos, Baird and Wilson Sheet Metal, Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering, Inc., RT Coatings, Axis Fabrication and Machine Co., CNS Y-12, SAIC, Centrus, Navarro, ESG, MS Technology, Navarro, Fastenal, First Place Finish, Mr. and Mrs. Groff, Seward Norris Construction Co., UCOR, Arconic Foundation, Volunteer Case and Container, The Buckner Family, Spectrum Techniques, Y-12 Federal Credit Union, The Schramm Family, The Chan Family, C & D Tire Service, Ashley Parks, Tag Groff, and for a CTE equipment grant from Governor Haslam.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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