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San Diego, CA — In their first trip to the Western Regional FIRST competition, the robot from Ambler, PA is breaking ground. The Ambler / Wissahickon robot, Miss Daisy, proved to be force to reckon with.

In one of the most exciting sporting events these kids have ever seen, Miss Daisy bloomed advancing through the quarter-finals and onto the semi-finals. The semi-finals looked like they might yank Daisy out by the roots. But, Daisy proved to be a wild flower moving onto the finals.

The Miss Daisy Drivers

The finals found Miss Daisy pitted against their new friends, the Holy Cows from High Tech High, San Diego. The Holy Cows were gracious enough to arrange for a night on the town the previous evening. The High Tech High team and parents provided transportation and accommodations in Old City San Diego. By the end of the evening, the two teams became close friends. Today at the pre-qualifying matches and into the playoffs, both teams cheered each other on… up to the finals. In the finals, they found themselves on opposing alliances. That didn’t seem to hurt their fondness for each other. After all, of the 48 teams that started, only 6 made it to the finals. The way a FIRST competition works is that three schools work together on a team to form an alliance. So, in any event, Miss Daisy and the Holy Cows were destined to come in either first or second place.

Wissahickon High School, Ambler, PA Miss Daisy Team 341 Robot

The first match of the double elimination competition saw Miss Daisy in the lead. Would the Holy Cows provide the fertilizer needed for Miss Daisy to be victorious or would they eat her for lunch?

The noise and excitement of the audience filled the San Diego Sports Arena like static electricity as round two of the finals got under way. Right before the match got under way you could her the two teams wishing each other luck. That is one of the true beauties of FIRST — they teach the students “gracious professionalism” and that was quite evident today.

The tension mounted into what could be the last match of the tournament. The sound reached a fevered pitch. If Miss Daisy won this round, the show would be over. That is exactly what happened. The Wissahickon High School alliance came in first place. In addition, they took home the Best Website Award and the Judge’s Award. (The Judges’ Award is a special award that the Judges may give to a team that stands out. The Miss Daisy team was noted for having supported the Brazilian team. See Robots Drop Their Bolts and Go Nuts.)

A wonderful ending to the event was the Chairman’s Award. The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award bestowed upon a team. At the Western Regional the Chairman’s Award went to Miss Daisy’s new friends, The Holy Cows. It was an exclamation point at the end of splendid event!

The Wissahickon High School's Victory Flag

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What Would You Pay?

San Diego, CA — What would you pay for an experience like this? Kids from all over the place have landed at the San Diego Sports Arena to do battle with robots. The FIRST Organization offers students a unique opportunity. Plenty of parents would pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for the chance that their children could participate in such a program. One of the beauties of FIRST is you do not have to be born with a silver spoon in mouth. Any child can participate. It’s not just for the elite. And, it gives you the chance to rise up and be the cream of the crop.

First of all, you get to build a robot. How many schools still have gymnastics teams? How many schools still offer driver education programs where the students actually get to drive? The fact is — fewer and fewer schools offer programs that are impacted by liability insurance. FIRST is a pleasant exception. Kids get to work in sophisticated machine shops, drilling aluminum, sawing steel, soldering, welding and riveting. At the same time, they are taught the importance of safety. That’s what makes it possible. That and the adult mentors that bring real-world experience into the schools. In fact, NASA has a mobile machine shop on site at the arena with their own crew of mentors. Wow!

Kids in the Pits Working on Robots

That’s just the beginning. Here at the Western Regional competition in San Diego a student traveling from Pennsylvania is a fine example of some of the other possibilities FIRST has to offer. This particular student is part of the build team that works in the pits and with the machine shop. She also was an ambassador. Ambassadors are students that help promote the sport of robotics to people of all ages. They take elementary school visitors down into the pits for a close-up experience with the robots, as well as, taking adult VIPs on tours. An Admiral from the Navy, the Mayor of the city and CEO s from some of the largest corporations get to interact one-on-one with the ambassadors. How many kids get this kind of career exposure?

Who knows what other possibilities will present themselves at a FIRST event. Today, the student from Pennsylvania finished touring the VIPs and then was interviewed for fifteen minutes on the radio. TV stations were filming and writers were writing about her. How many kids get opportunities like this? How much would a parent pay for such a chance?

Should you get a chance to thank Dean Kamen, the sponsors, the mentors or the students, it would be worth your while. Just consider the wealth of their investment in our future?

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San Diego, CA — The first day of the FIRST Western Regional competition got under way this morning at the San Diego Sports Arena. But, it wasn’t without some tense moments late into last evening. The two teams traveling the furthest distance, the Brazilian team and the Wissahickon, PA team, had to overcome any feelings or rivalry after some unusual circumstances took control over the Brazilian robot.

Team Brazil was expecting a well oiled machine to great them at the stadium. However, upon arrival, it was discovered that their robot was shipped to the wrong state. When it arrived in Memphis, TN, it dumbfounded customs and was quarantined. Having traveled such a great distance, it looked like Team Brazil was going to be shut out.

Team Brazil

However, FIRST robotic’s motto, Gracious Professionalism, came to the rescue. Despite troubles preparing their own robot, the team from Pennsylvania dropped their own bolts and went nuts. Scavenging parts from throughout the pits, the two teams worked to the last minute assembling a robot. Right before the final buzzer, the teams got the robot approved for competition.

When queried about performing such a feat, Wissahickon team member Chris Brouse said, “I’m getting use to it. This is not the first time this sort-of thing has happened. A couple years ago we were at a competition when a team showed-up under the assumption they were suppose to build their robot on-the-spot. We worked into the night then, too.”

The karma of gracious professionalism seems to be coming back to kiss them in the bot. Late into the preliminary rounds, the Wissahickon team is in first place.

If you ever want to see intense innovation and intellect, experience how intense a FIRST robotics event can be. Come and check it out. It’s free of charge and sure to charge you up.

San Diego, CA — The first day of the FIRST Western Regional competition got under way this morning at the San Diego Sports Arena. But, it wasn’t without some tense moments late into last evening. The two teams traveling the furthest distance, the Brazilian team and the Wissahickon, PA team, had to overcome any feelings or rivalry after some unusual circumstances took control over the Brazilian robot.

Team Brazil was expecting a well oiled machine to great them at the stadium. However, upon arrival, it was discovered that their robot was shipped to the wrong state. When it arrived in Memphis, TN, it dumbfounded customs and was quarantined. Having traveled such a great distance, it looked like Team Brazil was going to be shut out.

Team Brazil

However, FIRST robotic’s motto, Gracious Professionalism, came to the rescue. Despite troubles preparing their own robot, the team from Pennsylvania dropped their own bolts and went nuts. Scavenging parts from throughout the pits, the two teams worked to the last minute assembling a robot. Right before the final buzzer, the teams got the robot approved for competition.

When queried about performing such a feat, Wissahickon team member Chris Brouse said, “I’m getting use to it. This is not the first time this sort-of thing has happened. A couple years ago we were at a competition when a team showed-up under the assumption they were suppose to build their robot on-the-spot. We worked into the night then, too.”

The karma of gracious professionalism seems to be coming back to kiss them in the bot. Late into the preliminary rounds, the Wissahickon team is in first place.

If you ever want to see intense innovation and intellect, experience how intense a FIRST robotics event can be. Come and check it out. It’s free of charge and sure to charge you up.