Zacc practicing for his next Robtics competition in Indianapolis in March. Photo by Sharon Oviedo

Robotics Club State Tournament is coming up and teams at Plymouth High School are working hard to prepare.

There are several reasons that students at PHS have decided to join robotics competitions. Similar to sophomore Skyler Biendorf others have said they are interested in robotics “because I want to be an engineer.” Although, that is not the only reason students have joined. Senior Jason Doody joined because, “I was taking Project Lead The Way and it seemed fun.” Others took part in robotics from recommendations of those who were already in it. For example junior Alex Fox, who said, “I joined because of my friends.”  Senior Kennedy Schneiders became interested in robotics because,“I look forward to the problem solving that comes with it.”

Each team has designed their own unique team robot that they plan to use in competitions and meets. Each team and each individual student had to face challenges that can occur on the days of the tournament. A challenge that senior Miguel Flores said he had to face was “working by myself.” At times it can be difficult to work together as a team and the members mights not always see eye-to-eye. Doody say, “Every member has to chip in or we would fall behind.” Sophomore Noah Harrell said some problems he and his team had were, “getting the robot to work and the size limitations.” Not all problems have to do with the robots and the tournaments. Junior Zacc Hutchings said, “it interferes with running,” which is also another passion of his. Doody claims, “It challenges my school life and I don’t always complete my homework. Most teachers understand and help.” Senior Josh Kuhn said his big challenge is “managing my academics and sports.” Robotics does not only affect students’ academic lives but also their personal lives. Being in robotics is time consuming according to Kuhn and Schnieders, who have put in around “1,000 hours” of work so far.

All the hard work that these students put in can help them in the future. Senior Jeremy Shidler claims, “I got accepted into college because [robotics].” Joining robotics has proven to be useful in a college resume and helpful for students to the experience working with mechanics. As Doody said opportunities can be “reorganizations and future employers.” These opportunities do not have to be all educational. For senior Janessa Salazar it is all about “meeting new people. My position on the team is a builder but when at competition I am the spokesperson so I get to meet with new people and sometime they’re from out of state.”  Freshmen Chris Natzel says an opportunity for him is “learning more on engineering.” Robotics club at PHS is not only educational but a time to spend with friends and have fun. Fox says he is “having good times with friends and learning how to learn from your mistakes.”

Here are the parts of a robot yet to be built. These students are planning to build the lift to complete the team robot. Photo by: Sharon Oviedo

The Robotics Club State Tournament is happening soon and a great amount of students are excited about participating. Each member and teams prepare for robots in a variety of ways. For Beindorf he simply “sleeps” before the day of the competition. Unlike him Doody says, “I make Noah drive till his eyes pop out, don’t go to sleep, and I make sure the robot is okay and fits in the box.” In robotics it is not all serious and can be about having fun with the rest of the members. During robotics meeting and tournaments one can see students tagging others with clothes pins or simply hiding each others things just for fun. But when the moment come to work, these students can get serious.  Students do not only have to prepare themselves, but their robots as well. Flores says he “makes sure batteries are on the chargers and makes sure the robot is ready for the match.” To prepare his team robot Kuhn says, “we make the robot lift a lot of weight and do final adjustments.” His partner, Schnieders says, “We scout and look ahead. Plan out what is to come ahead.” Several teams at PHS say they expect “to win” at state tournaments.

This state tournament is also the last tournaments for seniors in robotics club. When asked about her excitement about the state tournament, Salazar says, “Yes, I’m super excited because I never get to go outside northern Indiana so being able to not only go to Indianapolis and then Iowa is really exciting for me.” When asked about his excitement, Schidler said, ‘Yes, because we are going to win.” Yet another senior that is excited is Doody who said, “Yes, it is actually pretty exciting. It is pretty fun and there are challenges.” These students are working especially hard in their final season of robotics. These individuals are hoping that they are able to accomplish the goals that they made at the beginning of the season.
Robotics club has given students a number of challenges and opportunities. In the end of it all these students are going to leave with knowledge, memories, and their new experiences. Because of that these students have come together and have created robots.