Embedded Files
Team 9315 Coding Comets, mentors and coaches pose with their Rookie Award earned during the Anderson, SC event.
Resilient. If there was one word to describe Team 9315 Coding Comets, it is resilient. From the onset of the season this team has been met with many obstacles, yet they rose to the challenge and emerged as the Rookie Team Award Winner in the Electric City Robotics Competition held in Anderson, South Carolina during the weekend of March 10-12, 2023.
The team did not receive their build kit to compete in this year’s Charged Up competition until the first week in February. This delay put them an entire month behind every other team participating in the event.. As a rookie team, this is the first time these ninth and tenth graders have ever competed in the FIRST Robotics competition. There is one eleventh grader on the twelve-member team who is also participating for the first time.
The students left school early on Friday, March 10 to travel to Anderson in a rented vehicle along with a caravan of parents and community volunteers who would mentor, coach and cheer the team on from the stands. Their mentor, Matt Stewart, had already delivered the robot to the arena. A cargo trailer used to transport the robot and tools is among a long list of materials the team houses on their wish list.
When the team arrived at the arena they jumped right into the challenge of troubleshooting their creation. Between software issues and rewiring, the robot missed its debut in the first, second and third matches. By match #4, drivers proudly carried Ursa, snuggly tucked inside her red bumper, onto the field where the cheering from the crowd of parent supporters and other teams was nothing less than thunderous when Team 9315 was announced.
Robot Ursa gets weighed during inspection.
The Drive team waits patiently for their cue to enter the field.
It was a new, yet exciting experience for everyone involved. According to one parent chaperone, Michelle Collins, “We had a great weekend! It was amazing to be chosen to compete with the number 2 team out of 27 teams.” She went on to mention how encouraged the Coding Comets were as a result of the outpouring of support from the other coaches, mentors and competitors. The Coding Comets robot, Ursa performed so well in the next 9 matches, their team was chosen by Team 4189 The Chargers (ranked #2) and Team 4533 Phoenix (ranked #6) to join their alliance in the playoff matches. Unfortunately, the three-team alliance was eliminated in the second round of semi finals.
The Coding Comets will make a few changes and additions to Ursa, then return for the next PCH district competition held in Hartsville March 23-25, 2023. Being a community team offering this opportunity for local high school students who do not have the option to participate in FIRST Robotics, Team 9315 is grateful for the support of volunteers and sponsors. The team left the PCH Anderson Event ranked #22 earning 26 points and is currently ranked #48 among 73 teams who have competed in the Peachtree District so far.
Ursa lined up for the buzzer. The game finally begins.
Technicians work feverishly to troubleshoot right before the matches begin.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse