GHS team claims world title in FIRST competition

Students come from behind for big victory

April 21, 2008
Herald-Banner

By Brad Kellar
Herald-Banner Staff

A team of local high school students - and their robot - are world champions after winning Saturday's FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) competition in Atlanta, Ga.

The Robowranglers, sponsored by Innovation First and L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, participated in the championship event at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., during which there were 340 teams competing, all regional winners and award winners.  The Robowranglers had to come from behind to claim victory Saturday, said team member Chris Follett, who was unable to attend the competition, but kept tabs on the team by watching the championship on television.

"I was almost passing out," Follett said of the comeback.  "It was a wild ride the whole way through."

Follett noted there were 1,500 teams that participated in FIRST competitions this year across the United States and from countries around the world.

The Robowranglers only won three of their first seven matches during the early part of the weekend, leaving the team seeded 57th out of 86 robots in the Galileo Division.

Still, it is nice to have friends.

"The number on seed, the Simbots from Ontario, and our partners from our regional gold medal performance in St. Louis, the Thunderchickens from Michigan, used the last pick of the draft to bring the Robowranglers into the number one alliance," Follett explained.

There were eight teams of three robots in the elimination rounds.  The Robowranglers and their alliance went on to win the three elimination rounds of the Galileo Division by 2-0 shutouts each, Follett said, to win the gold medal in divisional play.

The three other division-winning alliances from the "Curie", "Archimedes" and "Newton" divisions then met "Galileo" on the center field at the Georgie Dome, named "Einstein", for one more round of semi-finals to determine the championship alliance.

After the Robowranglers and their alliance suffered a loss in the first semi-final, when the Thunderchicken robot was tipped over, the Alliance swept the next two contests, winning the semi-final 2-1, then the final 2-0.

"This is the first championship won by the Robowranglers since 1993, the second year of the competition when there were no regional events but only the championship event," Follett said, thanking the major sponsors of the Robowranglers, L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Greenville High School and Innovation First, Incorporated, whom Follett said provided the team with lots of support.

"They gave us a place to work, and let us use their tools and engineers and a lot more," Follett said, adding Saturday's victory was especially sweet for the team's sponsor at the high school.

"Vanessa Pope is going to retire this year so it is very fitting that she go out with a championship medal," Follett said.

At the championship event it was announced there will be a Regional FIRST Event in Dallas, next year.

"This will be a great opportunity for local schools to take part and see what FIRST is all about," Follett said.

Team148.org  |  Robowranglers.com