Team Paradox is looking forward to traveling to the FIRST Robotics national competition held in St. Louis on April 27-30, after winning the Engineering Inspiration Award at the San Diego Regional competition on March 11 and 12.

The competition acted as both a qualifying and semifinal contest between more than 59 teams hailing from places as far-flung and exotic as New Hampshire and Mexico to local teams from high schools like Canyon Crest Academy and High Tech High in Chula Vista.

Team Paradox is well know for arriving in style, bringing a huge crowd of supporters all dressed in red, blue and yellow—the team’s colors.

Senior Nathan Strich, student coordinator, said “[There were] families, friends, teachers, administrators, members of First Lego League teams, sponsors, and tons of students.”

The team placed 18 overall in qualifying rounds, but the team advanced to semifinals after being nominated by another successful robotics team that placed higher in the rankings, D’Penguineers (Team 1717), to aid them as an ally. Team Paradox finished third place in semifinals.

This year’s robotics competition required teams of robots to form the FIRST Robotics organization symbol—a triangle, circle and diamond—on sets of hooks in the competition arena. During the final moments of the game, minibots would race to the tops of poles set up in the center of the arena for bonus points. Team Paradox’s minibot was one of the faster bots, able to climb the pole in 1.5 seconds, according to Strich.

Before the team heads to St. Louis, they look forward to travelling to the Las Vegas Regional competition March 31-April 1

According to Strich, Team Paradox faced very few complications and technical difficulties at this year’s San Diego Regional, only needing to fix a minor wiring issue during the first two rounds of semifinals. “This year we have crossed the threshold from making a robot to making a robot to compete,” said sophomore Andy Colletta. “Building a robot in six weeks has always been a balance of the greatest design and how well it is pulled off. This year, I feel like we hit that balance square on.”