Two weeks ago, a robotics team, Bullbots, which includes kids from schools all across Idaho, including Bishop Kelly, went to the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Idaho Regional. They were one of the roughly fifty teams that participated, all from different places and backgrounds. The Bullbots were given their own booth, had their own badges, and were getting ready to have a shot at seeing how their robot handled. They designed their robot to pick up, carry, and place down cubes and cones, as was the object of the game; whoever had placed the most cones and cubes in their zone, would win the match. The more rounds a team won, the higher its stats got, and that increased one’s ranking out of all the teams. The Bullbot’s robot even had a little LED display to tell the driver what kind of object the robot was carrying. The top ten teams were allowed to pick two teams to take with them to the finals. The Bullbots, though they did not make the top ten, were chosen to participate in the competition by the 2nd place team, called Taters.
This is where it gets tense. The Bullbots and their two alliances won the playoffs, and made it to the very last match. The rules for this match were simple. Best out of three matches, gets to go to the world championship. Bullbots won one competition, and lost one. What happened next was very much unexpected, no matter what team you rooted for. Triston Van Wyk, the Vice President of Bullbots, described it as follows.
“The day of Saturday April 1st was one of the most controversial days within the FIRST Robotics community. The second ranked alliance (Team Tators, Eaglestrike, and the Bullbots) were given the promise of going to Houston when the tie breaker match scores were shown and they had won. But with a long wait and speculation…[the] judges…had miscounted the scores and the second alliance had their hopes and dreams taken away. So they had to go home with the worst April fools prank pulled of all time and a devastating end to their season.”
The humor of this April Fools joke was lost on the Bullbots and their alliance. They went home with second-place trophies, and a newfound pessimism. The team, however, learned to live with the sour conclusion. They are all ready to try again next year, and the year after, and the year after that, because if there’s one thing a Bullbot isn’t, it’s a quitter. The Bullbots are already making plans for next year, are just as enthusiastic as ever, and always looking for new members.
The president of the Bullbots team, Katie Jonas, shared her thoughts on the event. “For me, FIRST robotics is more than a hobby. Three years ago I was introduced to the Bullbots, and the experiences I’ve had as a team member are more rewarding than I can say. I’ve made my best friends, I’ve learned a lot about engineering and the world, and I’ve gained leadership skills as the team’s president…despite some bummer results from our qualification matches [at the Idaho Regional] our team was on the winning alliance for the first time in Bullbots history…We were heartbroken, but never in my time as a team member have I seen something bring the team so close. I am so proud of the Bullbots for their achievements, for winning big, and for helping each other through hard times all the time. I love my team and I love what we do.”
If you have any questions about Bullbots or are interested in joining Bullbots, you can find their website here: https://bullbots.org
The Bishop Kelly Newspaper 