H.O. Brittingham robotics teams eager for competitions
Former and current H.O. Brittingham Elementary robotics students eager to get back into competition got a jump-start on this year’s world championships thanks to club advisor-led summer camps at school.
Coach-advisors Cathy Ward and Wendy Coverdale said several former H.O.B. students who are now in middle school are mentoring younger members, including siblings.
Younger siblings have the advantage of having attended the world championship with their families last year, Coverdale said.
“This group is very serious about the competition this year,” Coverdale said. “They came in this week ready to build a bot. It’s kind of interesting to see where their minds go.”
When building their robots, students work from similar plans, but tweak each one individually as needed. For instance, student Zane Longo said he chose faster wheels to give his robot more speed. Learning how to program is the most fun part of the club, said student Cameron Kennedy.
H.O.B. robotics students historically qualify for the state and world robotics championships, and this year’s teams are already working on the challenge for a new competitive field called Full Volume, Coverdale said.
In the challenge, students must program and build robots that can place blocks in a corner, knock red balls off pedestals and clear a storage area of blocks. An extra challenge involves moving the robot up and over a bar to park in the cleared storage area.
Once school begins, the club will be operating in full swing, Coverdale said, and will likely hold scrimmages in advance of any regional competition. The main event for the club is the VEX Robotics World Championship, held in April in Texas.
It’s an extracurricular afterschool club that doesn’t have a district-allocated budget, so H.O.B. students raise funds through business or individual sponsors to defray registration and travel costs for competitions.
Tax-deductible donations can be made payable to Cape Henlopen School District and mailed or dropped off at 402 Mulberry St., Milton, DE 19968. Write “H.O.B. Robotics” in the memo line.
