Robotics program eyes additional state titles
by Dan Holland
The world-ranked Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School Robotics team, which is the reigning state champion, kicked off its season this fall with an eye on winning a fourth consecutive state title this year.
The reigning state-champion BBH middle school robotics program is looking for its fifth consecutive state title.
said she likes to interact with members
of other teams at tournaments.
Photo by Dan Holland.
The Kennedy Group High School Robotics Tournament, held Nov. 8-9 in the BBHHS gymnasium, featured 30 middle school teams on the first day of competition and 72 high school teams the second day.
The high school program, now entering its 11th season, fields nine robotics teams comprised of between four and six members, each designated as “2011,” with each individual team assigned a different letter. Team members can assume an individual or combined role on the team that consists of being a builder, driver/controller, note booker, programmer or scout.
During the Nov. 9 high school tournament, eight of the nine 2011 teams made it into the elimination bracket. Four of the teams – A, F, J and K – made it to the finals, and teams 2011F and 2011K won the tournament. Team 2011Z won the excellence award for the best overall team, and 2011E won the design award.
This year’s game, called “High Stakes,” involves robots picking up blue and red plastic rings and loading them onto stakes. The mobile stakes can then be moved into one of two “positive” corners to receive bonus points. Competitors can also load and move the opposing team’s stakes into two “negative” corners at the rear of the field to have points deducted from their opponent’s score.
The competition task changes each year, with teams being charged with redesigning their robots to coincide with the current game. The BBHHS high school team competes in more than a dozen tournaments each year and has competed in world competitions a number of times.
Randomly selected alliances are paired up during initial matches played on raised 12-by-12-foot tables called “fields.” Each team – designated either as blue or red – has two robots in the match that consists of a 15-second automated portion followed by a 1:45 driver-controlled match. Team scores registered during qualification matches lead to a seeding chart for teams to compete in an elimination bracket during which teams can choose a partnering team.
A skills competition, held separately from the field competitions, has teams competing individually in a one-minute-long autonomous or driver-controlled run during which they retrieve and load as many rings as possible. Both competitions, along with an interviewing process conducted by judges, all count toward a team’s overall score.
Head coach Craig Kowatch, who teaches technology classes at BBHHS, has led the program since its inception in 2014. His son Casey Kowatch coaches the middle school team.
“If I could pinpoint one thing that has contributed to the success of our program, it would be the unselfishness of the kids, “said Craig Kowatch. “It’s about passing down your knowledge and everything else; our kids collaborate with one another so well. It’s a willingness to help each other with robots’ solutions to keep bringing the team up as a whole.”
Senior Corrina Yuan, who is primarily a note booker for team 2011K, said she enjoys the camaraderie and opportunity to meet players from other schools. “I’m really looking forward to the signature events, because we can look at teams from other states that we normally don’t see, and it’s a lot of fun interacting with the other teams at tournaments.”
Senior Alex Fu, a member of team 2011D, participates as a driver, programmer and builder. “I’m looking forward to all the big events and getting to meet people from all over the world at signature events and sharing ideas and making old and new friends,” he said. “The problem-solving aspect is very satisfying; coming up with a unique solution to a problem.”“We have two rules we base everything else off of, with the first being to have fun,” said Kowatch. “With 29 years of teaching experience, having fun promotes so many good things, because the kids don’t realize that all the learning they’re doing is fun. The second rule is to learn; be a sponge and absorb every bit of knowledge that you can.”
photo caption: BBHHS senior Alex Fu of Team 2011D shows off his team’s design. Photo by Dan Holland.