Berries Qualify for VEX Robotics State Championship
Written by Hannah Niederriter 2/14/22
Berries Qualify for VEX Robotics State Championship
As time has progressed, Cranberry Junior Senior High School has become increasingly involved with robotics, and on January 29, 2022, the high school hosted a state qualifier competition for VEX Robotics. Through this competition, one of Cranberry’s own teams, consisting of juniors Lucas Blum, Jeremy Hacherl, and Riley Fry, qualified for the VEX Robotics Western Pennsylvania State Championship.
During the qualifying competition, teams were required to compete 2v2 in a number of challenges involving rings and towers, individually score as many points as possible on a skill-related course, and participate in a team interview. Furthermore, each team was required to submit an engineering notebook describing day-to-day progress and detailing information pertaining to the mechanics and programming of their robots.
From left to right: Lucas Blum, Riley Fry, Jeremy Hacherl
10 slots were originally up for grabs for the state level of the competition, but due to double-qualifications, 8 teams in total qualified for States, one of which being Blum, Hacherl, and Fry’s team.
Blum, Hacherl, and Fry’s team was one of the two double-qualifying teams, and in total, they won 7 out of 8 of their qualifying matches. In addition to reaching the finals of the qualifying competition, they also received the Excellence Award, which is given to the first place team overall.
Blum, Hacherl, and Fry have been working inconsistently since the summer of 2021, but their efforts picked up pace at the beginning of the school year. Under the supervision of VEX Robotics advisor Mr. Bedee, all three members have dedicated hours to their robot nearly every day after school.
Though there were some setbacks leading up to and during the midst of the competition, such as Hacherl’s quarantine period, time management complications, and wheel, motor, and arm malfunctions, this team still managed to come out on top. However, in preparation for the next level of the competition, some reforms are in order.
“For States, we’re going for a hybrid system instead of a dual arm design. We’re also going to insert a system that allows our robot to suck up game pieces like a vacuum,” Blum explained.
As far as the engineering notebook is concerned, Hacherl plans to rewrite the notebook with log-based entries in hopes of better organization and flow.
States for VEX Robotics is scheduled to be held at Clarion University on Saturday, March 12. As of now, spectators will be permitted, so don’t forget to head over to Clarion to cheer on Blum, Hacherl, and Fry!
Photos by hANNAH nIEDERRITER
