Submitted By Jeremiah MacMahon, robotics advisor

Greetings robot fans! For the third, time the 20 members of the Fillmore High School Flash Drives journeys to Ventura College for the Ventura Regional Competition for FIRST robotics. This exciting tournament features 42 teams from around the world facing each other in randomized three vs. three matches. Teams earn ranking points for scoring and performing tasks in a space exploration themed environment.

This celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing requires teams to build robots from scratch using engineering design principles and power tools for machining. The team has 6 weeks to create a functioning, mobile, robot that can place “cargo”, 13” rubber balls, up to 8 feet in the air on a rocket and “hatches”, 20” discs, to the same height. Additionally, the robot has to survive a 6” drop at the beginning of the match and must climb a 19” platform at the end of the match. The field is the size of a basketball court and high speed, full contact between robots is a feature of the event.

The student-centered competition is not just robotics. The team is responsible for and learns valuable employment, public relations, finance, and mechatronics skills. Students also have the opportunity to earn scholarships for trade schools and college through FIRST. Locally, the Gene Haas Foundation provides Fillmore High Students scholarships for futures in machining, whether the goal is college or a trade skill. The program is a fantastic blend of practical hands on skills and academic learning.