 Coronado High robotics students built this arena, using the official dimensions for this year's FIRST game. It was set up for an 18-team scrimmage Feb. 20 in the Coronado gym (pictured). After that, half of the arena is being set up for practice in the school's auxiliary gym. Westside Pioneer photo
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Scheduled events are March 9-13, the Arizona North Regional in Flagstaff; and March 23-26, the Colorado Regional in Denver.
A victory in either regional - or being honored for program-related community outreach - would qualify 2996 (the school's robot identifier) for the annual international championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Either or both (in 2014) honors have occurred six times since the Westside public high school started the extracurricular engineering activity in 2009.
In robotics, students build a machine that can compete in a timed, small-arena game format based on a design that's devised each January by a national organization called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). In keeping with that, the robot must be built differently for each new game. For instance, this year's robot needs to be 14 inches tall to get under an obstacle.
 Coronado robotics faculty leader Bryce McLean (left) is shown during the February scrimmage in the Coronado High gym with Ben Fox, the student CEO. They're wearing safety glasses. The team is preparing for regional competition March 9-13 in Arizona and March 23-26 in Denver. Westside Pioneer photo
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The 2016 FIRST game is called “Stronghold.” It depicts a medieval-esque playing field, in which robots from either side score points by advancing on and then hurling balls at the opponent's castle. Each side consists of three teams/robots working as allies.
Robotics students also set up a corporate structure that coordinates fundraising and community outreach efforts.
This year's student CEO, senior Ben Fox, said he plans to enroll at Colorado State University and become an electrical engineer. Noting that robotics has been described as a “sport of the mind,” he described it as “way more challenging” than times he's competed athletically. Making a different robot every year takes “a lot of work,” he said.
The Westside Pioneer asked McLean for the biggest challenge in building a robot for Stronghold, based on the fact that it has to do several things (including crossing obstacles, picking up and hurling objects and lifting itself up).
“Our biggest challenge this year is trying to design a robot that can drive over all the obstacles, shoot a ball into the high window of the tower and still be only 14 inches tall so it can go under the low-bar obstacle,” McLean replied. “It has been a real design challenge to fit everything needed into such a small package.
Westside Pioneer article