Medical Lake's Boaz Guidry (left) and Logan Earl (right) adjust their robot on the starting platform before their second qualifying match.
The Medical Lake High School Circuit Breakers robotics are off to a good start to their season after they scored 41 points and finished eighth out of 28 teams March 7 at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Pacific Northwest District competition at West Valley High School.
The challenge for the competition was "Recycle Rush." Medical Lake, in an alliance with two other teams, scored points by having their robots stack totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and disposing pool noodles into the containers.
After each match, teams take their robots to the back for basic maintenance. Mikal Deiatrick, a driver for the Circuit Breakers said the machine's autonomous (self-direction) was working but there were other parts that needed modification.
"The forks to grab the totes were not working properly," Deiatrick said. "Our machines worked really well but we have to be able to hold the totes together."
The Circuit Breakers won eight of their 12 qualifying matches and earned 21 qualification performance points toward their PNW ranking. One interesting factor is they would switch teams for every match. Logan Earl, one of the drivers of Medical Lake's robot, explained that teams only have a little bit of time to discuss strategies before each match.
"Switching teams makes things a little difficult but it gets easier in the competition," Earl said. "In the quarterfinals you get to choose your teams.
Medical Lake competed alongside the Canine Crusaders of Kettle Falls, and CB Tech of Moses Lake, in the quarterfinals of the competition. They went 1-1, winning their first match and losing their second. They scored 15 alliance selection points for their alliance selection and additional five for winning the Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award.
"It's a glorious feeling, seeing everything you worked hard on come together," Deiatrick said.
The Circuit Breakers weren't the only ones representing Medical Lake. They had a group of fans in the stands and sidelines, many of them dressed in the team's blue colors as opposed to the school's traditional color of Cardinal.
"The adrenaline is running so high because everyone put so much hard work and heart into it," Dennis Schweikhardt, one of the team's mentors said. "It's exciting for all of us, even for the people in the stands.
The Circuit Breakers are ranked 32 out of 121 teams in the PNW District. They travel to Ellensburg March 20-21 to compete in their second district competition.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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