Robotics Tournament results

Below I have pasted a write up about the tournament this weekend. It was written by our robotics coordinator for our school district. I think he said everything so well that it doesnt need much alteration. I just added the pics. You can also click here to read the Anchorage Daily News article about the competition.It was very fitting that this year's FIRST Lego League theme, "Climate Connections" was right in line with the wacky, warm and windy weather the YK Delta and the rest of the state has seen this week leading up to the 2009 Alaska State Robotics Championships in Anchorage. Not only was the weather unseasonably "hot" for Alaska in January, both of the LKSD robotics teams brought some heat of their own by setting their season-best scores at the competition during the Robot Performance rounds. In total, 37 teams participated from Bethel, Anchorage, Soldotna, Seward, Nikiski, McGrath, Palmer, Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, Akhiok, and Chugiak. The weather has been so terrible, just over half of the teams which were expected to attend actually made it to Anchorage. Many ended up competing by live video teleconference instead. The BRHS Warrior Avalanche team coached by Alisha posted a high score of 190 points, while the Kilbuck Tundra Techs squad coached by Jeff Blevins set a blistering score of 210 points in Robot Performance. To give one an idea of how high these scores were, the best score at the LKSD Regional competition in December was 145 points and no team at the Fairbanks State Competition or the Juneau Regional held last month posted a score higher than 195. Both teams did an outstanding job representing LKSD and improving upon their previous achievements.

LKSD brought home some heavy metal - or should I say Legos?!?! - as well. The Kilbuck Tundra Techs received the 3rd Place award in the Robot Performance category - the first LKSD team to ever receive an award in this category at a state level competition - and the Tundra Techs also received the 1st Place Teamwork Award in the form of a unique trophy made entirely out of Legos! Way to go Tundra Techs!!!

This year's state competition also featured a separate "tournament of champions". In this event, robotics teams were invited to enter a single elimination bracket - with no breaks between rounds for robot maintenance and repairs - to determine who takes home bragging rights as this year's Alaska's top team. (It is a winner-take-all event.) The BRHS Warrior Avalanche fought all the way to the final round, including 2 matches in which the team completed missions in the final few seconds to seal victories! In the end, the BRHS Warrior Avalanche finished in 2nd place just behind the Robotic Sealz team from Anchorage. Way to go Warrior Avalanche!!!

Congratulations to both the robotics team members and the coaches for doing your best! It was a great way to end a fantastic season full of learning and fun.