By Alexandra Greenfield
The Los Altos High School robotics team staged an amazing comeback in competition, bringing home a second-place trophy and two auxiliary awards at the Pacific Northwest Regional, sponsored by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
The team earned the Delphi Driving Tomorrow’s Technology Award for innovative engineering and the Autodesk Visualization Award for achievement in animation.
Team No. 114, known as Team Eagle Strike, is a predominantly student-run club that designs, builds and programs robots to vie in a game issued by FIRST. This year’s challenge involved the robot’s ability to shoot balls into a 30-inch diameter goal raised 8.5 feet in the air. Competing teams had six weeks to design, strategize, build, troubleshoot and ship the robot.
To gear up for competitions before the building season starts, the LAHS robotics club works on smaller robots that compete against those of other team members. The preparatory competition, known as HALF (Have a Lot of Fun), is designed as a project for returning members and a learning experience for rookie members.
“HALF truly is an introductory experience for all the new people where the team dynamics start to settle in,” said junior Erica Tucker. “It’s seeing what you can do with what you know and putting ideas to the test. It’s a lot of fun - it gets everyone in a good mood for the season.”
Next on the team’s schedule is the Silicon Valley Regional at San Jose State University.
“I am looking forward to the Silicon Valley competition because it will give us a chance to try and improve on our second-place finish,” said third-year member Adam Garcia.
The team has high hopes, but Garcia said first-place trophies aren’t the only draw to competing.
“FIRST competitions are really an amazing experience,” he said. “They encourage teams and individuals not only to do their best but also to practice the idea of ‘gracious professionalism’ - helping other teams, lending parts, assistance and advice. There is always a drive to win, but you meet great people there, and the experiences last a lifetime.”
This week Team Eagle Strike reported a $10,000 gift from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as well as the donation of a digital camera and computer from Sony.
Los Altos High School Team Eagle Strike will compete at the Silicon Valley Regional Thursday-Saturday at the Event Center, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Square, 290 S. Seventh St. Admission is free and the public is invited.
The team’s final competition will be the Davis Sacramento Regional in the ARCO Pavilion at UC Davis March 23-25.
For more information or to donate to the Los Altos High School robotics team, call Leo Florendo at (408) 373-9456.
