Photos and Blogs
Scroll down or click the links below to see what we've been up to each day in Kentucky!
Preparing for Worlds
Last Practice Session - April 2
Team Photo with Mr Sokol (and without Chris)
Off to America!
The team leaving Melbourne on April 23 with an early start.
Bon Voyage
Arrived in Kentucky
After 26+ hours in planes and airports, we've made it to Kentucky. We are very proud of the positivity and responsibility the students demonstrated through the journey. The robotics family are looking out for one another.
Today we head to the competition venue for registration, driver meetings, and practice, before a Louisville Bats baseball game tonight.
A brief pause in Chicago airport.
A very American first dinner.
Day 1 - Registration
The team woke excited for registration today, and spent the morning checking into the competition, going through technical inspections, and meeting students from other teams around the world. We then adjourned to a cavern for an interlude of underground high-ropes hijinks, before returning to the competition venue for some extra practice. In the evening, we attended a Louisville Bats baseball game until it was swamped by rain. We walked (through some more rain) to a classic Southern BBQ restaurant for dinner before heading home to prepare for the first day of competition games tomorrow.
Showing off the year eleven design book outside the venue.
Divjyot somehow already has a medal.
Kayne, Ryan, and Divjyot at their team booth
Charlize about to eat a cricket
High ropes in the Kentucky "Mega Cavern"
Braving the weather for a baseball game before dinner.
Day 2 - Competition Begins!
Day two of competition brought the official opening ceremony and our teams' first qualifying matches. Charlize represented Copperfield and Australia, carrying the national flag at the Parade of Nations in the opening ceremony.
Our year eleven team started the day allied with a team from Moscow, Russian, losing narrowly to New Zealand / Japan alliance. They then came back to win their following two games. "We destroyed it in game three," according to Hayden. "We had great chemistry with our alliance partners, resulting a blowout."
The year nine team also had a strong first day, overcoming broken gears and axles to win two of their three matches.
You can follow results live and even livestream matches here.
Ryan and Divjyot conferring before their first game.
Divjyot and Chris about to begin their first game.
Anthony and Spencer preparing for their first match with their Russian allies.
Day 3 - Competition heating up...
Day two of competition brought some extremely challenging games for our teams, as they worked to adjust to the more aggressive style of play employed by many other teams. Both performed well, with the the year 11s' autonomous program operating smoothly and the year 9s demonstrating some excellent driving. But the competition was mostly too tough, with the year 9s winning one of their six games, and the year 11s tying one and losing five. After the competition, those students who were not too exhausted visited the Kentucky Science Centre, where they had a great time engaging in a range of teamwork, science, and engineering activities.
Spencer and Anthony mid-game
Chris and Divjyot hard at work adjusting their robot and programming after the first game of the day
The teachers modelling the importance of wearing safety glasses
Charlize in the commander's seat of a Gemini training module. Neil Armstrong trained in this seat!
Day 4 - Final day of competition
Both teams made a strong finish to the competition, with the year elevens winning both their last games, and the year nines winning one and losing one. While neither team made it through to their division finals, all the students represented themselves and Copperfield with admirable positivity, creativity, and teamwork. We all enjoyed the spectacle of the finals games, marvelling at the skills on display from the winning Chinese and American teams. After competition, the students enjoyed the much anticipated reveal of the VEX game for the coming year's competition. Strategy planning has already begun.... We then all hopped over to the Kentucky Kingdom theme park for the closing party.
Spencer, Anthony, Charlize, and Mayukh arriving for the final day of competition
Chris and Divjyot with their team's robot
Anthony's reaction when asked to describe how the previous day's games had gone. (He's his own toughest critic).
New converts to the joys of vegemite
Days 5 and 6 - Journeying home
On Sunday, competition over, we packed up the robots and headed out to visit the Speed Art Museum on the campus of the University of Louisville, before heading to the airport. Thunderstorms in Denver delayed our flight west, preventing us from making our connecting flight to Australia. As a result, we found ourselves with a day to spend in Los Angeles. We made the most of this, visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum, the LA County Museum of Art, and the LA Brea Tar Pits, as well as making a quick visit to Hollywood Boulevard. On Monday evening, we finally boarded a flight back to Melbourne via Sydney, arriving home lunchtime on Wednesday.
Robotics Club Art Appreciation Society
A robot to farewell us at Louisville airport
Spencer not appreciating the flight delays
In Denver airport
