Facing 607 competitors representing 11 countries, the Destrehan High School’s Wildcat Robotics team 3039 placed among the top 32 teams or top 5 percent of teams in the world.
It was tough, but that didn’t stop the Wildcat Robotics team from ranking high among 15,000 high school students at the 2015 First Robotics Competition in St. Louis, Mo.
“After scouting the teams in their division on the 10-hour trip to St. Louis, they knew they had their work cut out for them,” said Brian Young, Destrehan High School’s robotics adviser.
On arrival, teams were randomly divided into eight divisions with 76 teams in each division.
After 10 qualifying matches in two days, the Wildcats ranked fifth in the Newton division, Young said. This earned them the spot to be an alliance captain and pick their two teams, which they chose from Michigan. Each “alliance” includes three teams.
It was game on.
But, the Wildcats experienced mechanical issues with the intake arms on their robot, causing them to be eliminated from the semifinals.
Young said they were beaten by the team that became the world champion.
“The valiant effort places them in the top 32 teams in the world this year, which is the top 5 percent of teams,” he said.
The competition is part of the First Tech Challenge, which is part of a series of robotics programs run by its parent organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
Young thanked the student team, mentors and sponsors for their help and support. The team’s biggest sponsors are Motiva, Dow and the National Defense Education Program along with numerous other contributors.
“It may never happen again,” Young said of his team’s monumental success. “You can’t make this happen.”
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