Race to the Finish! – Competing in the First Tech Challenge (FTC), Robotics team members senior Kayla Nguyen and juniors Mia Nguyen and Anita Whitner race their robot to finish a series of challenges in the Northshore FTC Qualifier competition in February.
The two Dominican teams, Team Ultra Violet and Team Valkyries, both placed in the competition. Dominican Team Ultra Violet placed first in Innovate, third in Think and third in Connect. Dominican Team Valkyries placed first in Think, second in Control, and third in Inspire, which is the highest award.
Dominican competes in the FTC Qualifier every year, and the teams who win qualify for regional competition. Winning regionals also means the team qualifies for the world competition, which is always a goal for the Dominican Robotics teams. The competition begins with a pre-programmed activity where the girls are not directly controlling the robots. The girls program their robots to complete tasks in a certain amount of time.
Next up, they competed in the tele-op competition where the driver controls the robots. Two teams played together as one and each team worked to get as many points as possible. When they had thirty-seconds left, the drivers had to steer their robots back to their spots, attach to the base in the middle and lift itself off the ground. These different activities teach the girls how to work and communicate as a team. Click here to watch the competition:
“I love robotics because I am able to meet new people,” said junior Mia Nguyen. “Robotics has helped me in deciding a career choice for the future also. Throughout my years on the team, robotics has given me insight and opportunity to experience STREAMTM.”