Robotics’ Recent Success

It’s almost as if you’ve walked straight into an old fashioned American sporting event: corndog and ice cream stands lining the right wing, kettle corn littering the ground, each step a pronounced crunch as you weave through the stands, and the “Star-Spangled Banner” filling hearts with a little bit of national pride. But to your surprise, the players are wearing safety glasses instead of baseball caps, waving cables and wrenches instead of giant “We’re number #1!” foam fingers, and the field is populated by whirring, flashing robots.

Under the roof of this Del Mar Fairgrounds arena, the twelfth annual FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) San Diego Regional is underway. This event, one of the 166 regionals occurring worldwide, features 66 unique teams, ranging from nearby schools to the Netherlands and Chile. This year’s theme, called FIRST Power Up, appealed to video game enthusiasts everywhere.

The objective of the game is to gain as many points as possible by launching bright yellow cubes via robots to tip a scale in favor of your alliance, using power ups along the way. Team Paradox from SDA is the two-time defending champion of the San Diego Regionals and excited to put their bot to the test once again this season.

At 7:30, security guards open up the gate. Team Paradox, stirring with excitement at the front of the giant line, frantically darts towards the stands to reserve their favorite section. Chucking their red, yellow and blue pom poms at the bleachers to claim the best view in the arena, it’s clear from the beginning that Team Paradox means business.

To junior Jana Roper, the head machinist and design lead, Paradox’s success comes from the fact that “[they] really function together. It’s not just the engineering with different snippets of everything else making it work. [They] function as a whole.”

Sophomore and robot driver Blake Lieber agreed, “When we only have a few minutes left, we can always work together and get things fixed and working quickly.”

The team mascot, who is of course a cross between a parrot and an ox, rallies the sea of yellow-clad Paradox members through a megaphone painted with the team number, 2102. George Stimson, an SDA physics teacher and engineering mentor for the team, ran about and clicked pictures of everyone’s smiling faces. Meanwhile, other teams bustled to and fro from the practice field and the pits, 12 foot cubes in which teams store and make adjustments to their robots in between matches.

On the other side of the curtain, the referees sported classic black and white vertical stripes, volunteers in baby blue, and the over 1,500 high school participants proudly wearing their team’s brightly colored shirts. Together they formed a vibrant artist’s palette, with blobs of color occupying every inch of the space. It was impossible to miss Team Paradox in their bold red pants, bright yellow shirts and electric blue sweatshirts.

A whistle sounds, followed by, “1…2…3…Power Up!”

Team Paradox kicks off the first match of the day, chanting “2102, We love you!” “Red alliance!”, and “Team Paradox!” at the top of their lungs with pom poms flashing. Even being reprimanded by the security guard for crowding the front row didn’t dampen their spirits. Their robot weaved in between bumps and obstacles and reached its metal arm up to place a cube. Roars erupted from the enthusiastic, and perhaps the loudest team in the arena, as the score 418 to 217 was announced.

The team couldn’t contain it’s spirit and even cheered for the LCC MavBots, yelling “We are proud of you!” regardless of whether they won or lost.

The qualification matches continued on, pursued by the crowd’s collective “ohh”s of disappointment and cheers of joy.

Freshman machinist, Seth Blanchard stood out in the crowd, every inch of him covered with collectible buttons. “Basically I’ve been to almost every San Diego Regional for the past 12 years,” Blanchard said, “and I’ve built this giant collection.”

The array of mascots were eye candy for the audience, including a Sorting Hat from Harry Potter, a fire extinguisher, a cow (complete with bells), a giant armored spider, and even swashbuckling pirates.

“We [mascots] actually made a conga line yesterday,” David Salzmann, sophomore and team mascot, said. “It’s like a big community.” As if on cue, a member from another team comes by and fist bumps him, thrilled to meet the Paradox mascot. “It’s amazing getting to know people and making a ton of new friends,” Salzmann continued, “because when you see them next, you’re gonna hug them, high five them, and have fun competing with them.”

According to junior programmer Cecilia Martinez, the robotic competition has been incredibly inclusive and a second home for many. “Robotics has definitely made me a more outgoing person. I never have that fear of ‘What am I going to talk about?’ when I’m here [at competition]. This is where I found my family of friends.”

It wasn’t long before Paradox burst out of their seats to perform their usual “Cotton Eyed Joe” dance, and cameras were whipped out to capture the moment.

Then came Alliance Selection, where the 66 teams were cut down to 24. Paradox was among those still remaining and formed their alliance with the Aluminum Narwhals from CCA and the Lunas from Hawaii. The competition grew more and more intense from there on.

Quarter Finals.

Semi Finals.

Finals.

With each round, the thundering crowd was getting louder and louder. The announcer kept up with the fast paced game with remarkable talent and everyone was on the edge of their seats.

In the final tie breaker match, up against the infamous Holy Cows from High Tech High, The Wolverines from Los Angeles, and the RoboWarriors from Mission Hills, the audience faces the tense last moments that could change everything. Hearts pounded in their chests, half the team holding their breath in suspense, while the other half cheered even louder.

Then came in the final score: 328 to 318. A loss for Paradox by a mere 10 points. But despite this, the mascots from the two opposing teams met in an embrace and high fived with smiles on their faces.

For a majority of the team members, there is no doubt that they’ll be returning to the San Diego Regionals, even after they graduate. “I’ll definitely try to return to see the new generation,” said Martinez. “I’m gonna always love this team and I want to come back to support it.”

And despite Stimson retiring this year, he claims that, “I love San Dieguito, I can’t just jump on a ship and leave. This team is awesome and I will definitely be returning.”

Not to mention, some important milestones were reached this season. “The autonomous programs worked from the beginning of the regional all the way to the end without any adjusting,” said senior Rohit Vighne, the lead programmer on the team. “That’s never happened before. It was a really big achievement for programming and for me, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to accomplish.”

During the awards ceremony, Paradox won an award for being finalists as well as one for excellence in engineering. But most importantly, they earned a wildcard, which guaranteed them a spot in the world championships in Houston in April.

Over the buzz of excitement, a mentor yelled out over it all, “We’re going to Houston, folks!”