Hard Work Pays Off! WMS Robotics

MS Vex Robotics 2023 Team Viper

Coach: Cara Wightman

Members: Evelyn Robb (main designer, programmer, Captain)
Caleb Ely (Driver, designer)
Emma Ylitalo (Operator, builder, master filer)
Zoe Robinson (Back-up operator, organizer)

Competitions: Rice Lake, WI - finished in 17th place
Traverse City, MI- finished in 16th place
Appleton, WI - Champions (finished 1st place and won tournament championship)

Season Progression: We started our season at the beginning of October with evaluating the game and planning our robot. We didn’t think that we were experienced enough to build a shooting bot, so we played it safe and made a bot that picked up discs to move them.
After our first competition (Dec 17- Rice Lake, WI) we decided that we felt the bot could be upgraded and we wanted the challenge of adding a shooter. This changed our robot design dramatically. The redesign was worth the challenge, as it gave us a real chance to be competitive.
By our second competition (Jan 28- Traverse City) we were able to change the bot completely but didn’t get to practice much. The competition was a lot of fun and motivated us to practice for our last competition.

By our third competition we were able to upgrade the design a bit more and really hone in on our teams’ strengths. We were able to practice quite a bit and really dial in our autonomous portion of the competition. At the competition we were undefeated and went into the alliance selection process in first place. We were flabbergasted. We never expected that our practice and changes to the bot would allow us to be in such a high position. We chose the alliance we felt would be best to work with and they didn’t disappoint. Together we made our mark all the way to the final match of the day where we were able to score almost double our opponent (144-83). We took home the tournament champion trophy.

We were also selected by the judges at the competition for the judges award. The Judges Award recognizes attributes that may not fit in other award categories and the Judges felt were deserving of special recognition.

Key criteria of the Judges Award are:
1. Team displays special attributes, exemplary effort, or perseverance at the event
2. Team overcomes an obstacle or challenge and achieves a goal or special accomplishment
3. Team interview demonstrates effective communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos



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