Sage Creek’s Robotics team, Crow Force, prepares extensively for each tournament. On Jan. 18 and 19, all of the Robotics teams participated against different schools like La Jolla High School, and other community teams at Sage Creek High School. Teams from all over San Diego County participated in this event from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Ethan Nguyen, a sophomore on team Botcats who participated at this meet said, “Tournaments allow teams to improve their statistics in their league such as scoring more average points during the autonomous duration of a game.” Nguyen said, “Being able to see how my contributions to the robot function in the game and observing what changes are needed to further improve the product.”
After the tournament was completed, many of the teams celebrated while also looking over their past mistakes and the solutions for them. Being a part of the Robotics team provides a significant opportunity for students to advance their interest in engineering and skills. Members of the teams are excited about the upcoming competitions such as the World Championship in April.
Crow Force is one of Sage Creek’s robotics teams and is eligible to participate in this tournament against over 200 other high schools. Crow Force has been extremely successful this year and currently has a total of ten wins with of eight losses. Their next competition will take place on Feb. 9 at the San Diego Descartes League Tournament.
This will be a home match, and many other schools and individual teams will participate.
10809 Crow Force was formed in 2015, and with their placement of 7th place on Jan. 19, they are expecting a promising result on Sage Creek Grounds in February. Anybody can join despite their level of knowledge of the hobby. Teamwork is crucial to winning.
Not only is creating a robot time-consuming, but it is also expensive and takes a lot of planning.
The key to winning during a tournament is learning from previous mistakes brainstorming new ideas and continuing to try despite the challenges. Sage Creek Robotics is made possible through the First Tech Challenge (FTC) and each year holds different games and objectives.
This year’s game goes on for the entire year and is water-themed, called “Into the Deep.”
Sage Creek has five teams with around 15-20 people. These teams are then divided into sub-teams that specialize in software, hardware or business. Depending on members’ role on the team they may have to arrive at the tournament earlier or later.
Natalia Bonanno is a sophomore at Sage Creek and a team member of 23977 Catalysts. “Fixing the robot between matches is always interesting”, said Bonanno. 23977 Catalysts was created in 2023 and won one match and lost five at the recent event. Their next match will be at the San Diego Gauss League Tournament on Feb. 16.
This competition will take place at Francis Parker High School. Their opponents are to be decided, but despite their previous stats, there is still a possibility of winning.
Typically, many parts need to be cleaned up when the tournament is over. For example, if one team borrowed an item from another, they must find the team and return it.
“After the competition is over, we’ll usually figure out what went wrong and find a way to fix it,” Bonanno said. Robotics is great for those interested in coding, problem-solving or being a part of a team. It is impressive on college applications and can further career opportunities. This past weekend, the Sage Creek Robotics tournament was hosted by First, a robotics-based organization that provides fun and interactive ways for students to participate in the hobby through FTC..
First provides both thrilling and difficult challenges that help students create self-confidence and specific skills like problem-solving with a team. They say their opportunities provide a long-lasting effect on the youth who are interested in STEM. This group has played a major role in high schools across the United States. After completing the busy and fast-paced fights, all teams will review what happened and discuss helpful information that may help them in upcoming tournaments.
As the Jan. 18 and 19 tournaments are over, positivity and exciting possibilities are wide open for Crow Force and Catalysts whether it’s on Feb. 9, Feb. 16. or the World Championships in April.
