In a battle of the bots, Naperville North High School hosted the inaugural Illinois FIRST Robotics Competition State Championship this past weekend, inviting the top teams from around the state, with 22 attending to compete.
First state competition in Illinois
Huskies Robotics Team 3601, made up of students from Naperville North and Naperville Central high schools, requested to host a state championship to give teams more exposure to competition.
“We notice that some teams down south may not be able to go to other regionals, or they go to regionals in other states, but we want to bring them more into the Illinois community. So, this is really for any team that can possibly make it in Illinois, we invite them to attend,” said Debabandya Dash, a senior at Naperville Central on the Huskies Robotics team.
Off-season practice at state competitions
The regular season ended after the FIRST Championship at the beginning of May.
But post-season opportunities like the state competition give teams more time to fine-tune their robots, continuing the same game the teams have played since the season started in January.
“The game for this year involves a robot that goes around on the field with two other teammates, and they’re trying to score what’s called fuel, which are these yellow balls that the robot can pick up, and they’re shooting it into a hub, which is basically this open container that can take fuel,” Dash said.
Teams also face previous competitors again.
“Even though we’ve seen and competed with them in the past, they probably have changed different things about the robots, and even their team. Then we can learn more about what their goals are for the next season, so we can collaborate and learn about them with each other, which is what FIRST is really passionate about,” said Nooriya Rahman, a senior at Wheaton Warrenville South High School on the Roaring Robotics Team 2704.
Teams collaborate at competitions
With the season finished, teams like Roaring Robotics, a community team of students from Naperville-area schools, prioritize learning from their competitors.
“Our team has really been able to grow in terms of what we’ve been able to make, as well as our outreach and how we’ve been able to impact our community,” Rahman continued. “I think this is another opportunity of just representing Illinois and sharing more with those teams.”
“This has been a great experience for all these teams, and we’re just excited to be at our school hosting the state championship,” Dash said.
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