The Georgia State Championship for the FIRST Tech Challenge Rover Ruckus game took place last Friday and Saturday at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell. Eagle Robotics Teams 11364 Diamond Plate and 7373 Carbon Fiber were both in action in the pool of 42 teams that had made the cut for the championship. This culminating event was filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and more than one nail-biter. Team 7373 made a stalwart run through the event with their newly-designed arm and intake system. Team 11364 sported a new intake and lift system as well. At the end of qualification rounds, Team 7373 Carbon Fiber finished the day with a 3-3-0 record and in 22nd place. Team 11364 Diamond Plate finished qualifying with a record of 5-1-0, and in 2nd place. Team 11364 went on to play in the semifinals where they were eventually eliminated from the robot game.
In the awards ceremony to follow, seniors Jack Baute and Grayson Epps were recognized. These two young men have now been members of the high school Eagle Robotics team for 4 years, and will be moving on after graduation to study engineering at university. Juniors Ben Mueller and Luke Spinetto were honored as Dean’s List state semifinalists. Dean’s List is the highest individual achievement a student can obtain in the FIRST Tech Challenge. Team 11364 Diamond Plate won the Think Award, which recognized their 300+-page documentation as the best engineering notebook in the state of Georgia. They also won 3rd Place in the Inspire Award, the highest team award given. With this award, 11364 Diamond Plate becomes the first team in MPCS history to advance to the World Championships in Houston, Texas. From April 17-20, Diamond Plate will compete at the world’s premiere robotics event, in a field of 160 teams and against the best robots from around the world. Just for context, last year over 70,000 spectators gathered to watch the World Championships. We are extremely proud of all of our high school Eagle Robotics team members, and salute them for their tireless work ethics, selfless giving, Gracious Professionalism, and inspiring imaginations.
