Frederick High MESA Wins FIRST Tech Challenge and Goes Global!
On Saturday, February 14, 2009 Frederick High School’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) after-school program accomplished an amazing feat! They won the Western Regional FIRST Tech Challenge. As a result, seven Frederick High MESA students and their advisor, Julie Constantine, will be on their way to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge at the US FIRST World Championship! The Frederick High MESA team will compete against teams from eight other countries including Canada, Mexico, Chili, Brazil, India, Norway, Holland, and Singapore at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, April 16-18, 2009.
“We were lucky to be introduced to this challenge while our MESA team was presenting at Stemapalooza last October," explained advisor Julie Constantine. Kathy and Matthew Collier, Regional US FIRST representatives, grabbed the MESA students' attention by demonstrating a model FTC robot. No one suspected that the "lucky" meeting would end with Frederick High MESA being the first and only Colorado MESA team to enter and win a FIRST Tech Challenge.
Extremely dedicated and talented students, Linda Palacios, Meghan Goff, Lorissa Flanagan, Adam Charlton, Dominic Wenk, Teague McCurry, and Joel Jackson accepted the daunting task of designing and building a competition ready robot in just one month. With the guidance and dedication of mentors Julie, Kathy, and Matthew, Frederick High MESA students defied all odds they faced as a rookie team. The team's success was based on building a very stable, sensible robot that consistently scored points.
Early in the competition, the team had an amazing lead. But, rather than boast about their success, they demonstrated compassion for others by assisting competitors trouble-shoot their robot's problems. Hard work, persistence, and the spirit of "gracious professionalism" defined this outstanding MESA FTC team.
More about FIRST Competitions:
“FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a mid-level robotics competition for high-school students. It offers the traditional challenge of a FIRST Robotics Competition but with a more accessible and affordable robotics kit. The ultimate goal of FTC is to reach more young people with a lower-cost, more accessible opportunity to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, and engineering.” (usfirst.org)
This year's FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) was to create a robot that could grab “pucks” from a holder and place them in a three-tiered scoring container in the middle of the playing field. In each meet, a team is placed with a different team to create an alliance. The two teams only have a few minutes to discuss a winning strategy. The tournament included a 30 second optional autonomous function that begins before the 2-min round in turn doubling any points scored during this autonomous time.