Raceland Rambotics Team Eyes Next Step
Jarrod E. Stephens
The Ashland Beacon
There’s no doubt that the world around us is getting more digitally sophisticated every day. Jobs that were once labor intensive have been replaced by robotics and in some cases more work is accomplished in less time. While this can affect the workforce in a negative way, remember, there has to be a person to design, operate and update all those fancy machines.
The Raceland Rambotics team is a small group that has embraced the robotics world in a way that is giving students the chance to build robots, complete tasks and compete with other schools. The problem-solving skills that are needed to compete become life skills that can one day help these students compete in our technological workforce.
According to their coach Kristina Brown the experience gives the kids a skillset that prepares them for the future. “The students learn how to use tools when they build the robot, they use CAD software to design pieces for the robot, they learning coding which is what runs the robot. This is a STEAM program which is the future. Marathon, MarkWest, and Toyota have streamlined their business with automation and robots. The students also use design skills for their webpage and other projects for the team. Students leave the program with skills they can use in the future.”
Brown further explained the action that the kids have been part of. “This year as a state we have transitioned to League Play (KY Metro League) and there are currently 32 teams in the league. Teams from other states are also participating in the league (OH, AL, & TN). Teams are ranked based on their performance on the competition field only. You have to participate in 2 league meets to be eligible to compete in the state tournament on February 17th at the University of Kentucky. From the state tournament, only two Kentucky teams will advance to Worlds in Houston, Texas in April. This is new this season because in the past any team could advance, but they've changed the policies to have more equitable representation at the next level of competition.”
The team competed in the Louisville League meet on February 3rd. They finished 4th at the meet which put them in 5th for the league and 3rd in the state as they go into state competition on February 17th.
This year’s team consists of team members: Caleb Hamilton, Charlotte Klinepeter, Tiffany Perry, Skyler Waugh, Noah Wright, and Jeremiah Young.
“Our team is still a rookie team, but we have expanded this year to include middle school students to try to garner interest and build this program,” Brown said. “We have a community mentor, Brennan Plummer, from Marathon this season. Mr. Plummer is a Raceland alumnus.
When asked why he wanted to be a mentor Plummer stated, “When I first saw that Raceland-Worthington had a robotics team I was jealous. I wish they had something like that when I was in school.” After learning more about the program Brennan became a mentor. “After seeing Mrs. Brown’s passion for the program and the potential it had to students I wanted to be part of the team as their mentor.”
The competitions are quite intense and require a lot of planning and on the spot thinking according the Plummer’s description. “The teams show up and have to set up the pit area, then get the robot inspections done. Teams compete in alliances. Two robots work together to get the highest score in a 2.5-minute match. Those alliances change each match. The team that you are trying to beat may be your ally next round. It encourages finding strengths of each team. Plus, you have to be a good winner and sore loser, you never know who you will have to work with. The team will usually have 4 matches during a meet. Students have to do repairs, plan battery charging, and swap roles. There is a Driver Coach, Driver, and Human Participant in each match. Those roles can change student assignments based on skill and interest. The meets are very quick paced.”
Coaches for the team are Kristina Brown and Mary Johnson. This is Mrs. Brown’s 6th season participating in FIRST. During the two previous seasons, her team has been part of the winning alliance at the state competition.
With the final state competition on the horizon, the Raceland Rambotics team will continue perfecting their robot and its functionality in order to advance to Houston. Good luck to the Raceland Rambotics team!