Owls robotics team wins Hatboro-Horsham competition, hosts district event March 30–31
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Kelly Dennis’ heart was beating out of her chest. The Bensalem High School senior, along with a handful of her peers, had a mere six minutes to repair the major battle wound inflicted upon their beloved creation — an intricately-designed, elevator-boasting robot.
It was the weekend of March 2–3, and the Fightin’ Robotic Owls were participating in the FIRST (For Inspiration of Science and Technology) Robotics District Competition at Hatboro-Horsham High School, where robotics teams from across the Mid-Atlantic region convened. All brought their A-games, and none wanted to go home empty-handed.
Despite the brief scare, Dennis, who serves as the team’s integration captain, and the rest of the pit crew, successfully patched up the robot. It then zipped through the “Destination Deep Space” obstacle course with ease, utilizing its elevation capabilities to pick up and place large balls into a “rocket.”
For the first time in the Fightin’ Robotic Owls’ history, they won.
“It was probably the happiest I ever felt,” Dennis said. “Winning was insane. We won in an off-season competition before, but it didn’t count for anything. It wasn’t as big a deal. This was our first time winning a district competition.”
Senior Katherine Matveykina, who serves as the team’s program manager, shared a similar sentiment.
“Our last competition was an insane win. We came into it with a barely functioning robot,” she said. “You always have two practice matches before the actual competition starts. The first one we didn’t even go, and the second one, we went out and our robot didn’t move. And then we ended up winning the whole thing. It was just a crazy shift.”
Though the team is still reveling in the glory of its win, the students know their work is far from over. Currently, they’re preparing for their second competition of the season, which will take place at Bensalem High School on March 30–31.
“This is our first time hosting. Very exciting, very terrifying,” said lead mentor Kevin McKay. “We’re looking forward to it, but we’re nervous to make sure it goes off correctly. Whatever you think it is, it’s bigger. They’re anticipating about 1,800 people a day, Saturday and Sunday. It’s a tournament. It goes all day.”
According to McKay, a Boeing employee who aids the Fightin’ Robotic Owls on a volunteer basis, the FIRST committee that inspected participating high schools selected Bensalem almost instantly.
“The renovation gave us a great facility and a new gym. But even outside of that, geography,” he said, explaining how Bensalem is conveniently accessible for students in New York and New Jersey.
So far, 31 teams have registered. But chief engineer Justin Hawk, also a senior, has faith in his fellow Owls.
“This year’s robot is a very ambitious robot. It’s our first year doing an elevator design like this in the front. It’s been a real challenge, but I think our communication has been better than it’s ever been. So it’s getting done, and it’s definitely been the most fun robot I’ve ever worked on. I’m proud of what we’ve done so far,” he said. “It’s going to be a harder competition. Since it’s not the first competition, all of the teams have worked on their robots as well. Everyone’s going to be a little bit better. But I still think we can do pretty good if we try hard enough.”
If the Owls earn enough points, they will advance to the district regional competition at Lehigh University, followed by the world championship in Detroit, Michigan.
“We’ll see,” Hawk said. “We’re looking good this year.”
If the team’s success at Hatboro-Horsham is any indication of how the next competition will go, it’s safe to say they’re in pretty decent shape. Not only did the Owls win, they also took home two awards — the Creativity Award, sponsored by Xerox, and the Safety Award, sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories. The team was given the Creativity Award for its idea of placing the robot vertically to maximize the amount of points their alliance could achieve; and the Safety Award for consistently demonstrating excellence in safety, and establishing a safety culture within the STEM Lab at Bensalem High School.
Until the big weekend arrives, the Owls will continue their tireless efforts to ensure the robot is as perfect as possible. Work began during the first week in January, after FIRST released details on its 2019 “Deep Space” game. Though the competition places a strict limit on how much time teams can spend on their robots, the nearly 50 Owls made each precious moment count, often inhabiting the STEM Lab until 9 p.m. on a school night.
“It’s literally my second home. I spend more time here than I do at my own house,” Dennis said.
But for her, that’s perfectly OK.
“I’m not going into engineering, but I can definitely use the character-building that it gives, working hard with others,” she said. “I’ve had leadership opportunities that really helped me be outside of my comfort zone, so I can take that and use that for any profession I go into.”
McKay stated how each student has their own role on the team. Even if someone isn’t skilled in science or technology, they can serve in a marketing/public relations capacity, which is just as important. The Owls raise almost all of their own money, which usually equates to $40,000 a year through fundraisers and securing sponsors such as Google and Boeing.
If you go: The FIRST Mid-Atlantic district event will take place at Bensalem High School, 4319 Hulmeville Road, on Saturday, March 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, or to sign on as an event volunteer or sponsor, visit team5401.org/fmaben/
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
