Viperbots building their way to regionals

Six robotics teams to compete in regional competition

Viperbot+team+Venom%2C+6209%2C+gathering+together+for+a+group+photo

Submitted by Marci Van

Viperbot team Venom, 6209, gathering together for a group photo

Arabella Villarroel, Staff Reporter

On Mar. 4 and 5, six robotics teams, Ouroboros, Venom, Stryke, Quadx, Hydra and Recoil, will compete against 30 other teams at the Austin Metric League robotics competition.

“I’m excited about having this opportunity to go to regionals since it is my first time ever,” junior Marci Van said. “I am also excited about bonding with others, not only my team, but everyone else in the organization and people from all other teams who are also coming down to San Antonio to compete.”

The Viper Bots will leave after school tomorrow, load buses, head to San Antonio to compete. They will stay overnight, and return Saturday evening.

“I’m not nervous about the uncertainty of what the competition will bring and [what it will] be like,” junior David Baker said. “It is going to be the first major competition I go to with everyone on my team.”

The competition will take place at Davenport High School, located in San Antonio.

“The easiest part of this whole thing has been getting to bond with the people in the program, both in and out of Vandegrift,” Van said. “As the season goes on the process for the robot and marketing also gets easier because you get into the groove of it. But the friendships you build through the season just come naturally.”

Teams who advanced from the championships will go to regionals, taking place this weekend. 

“The most stressful part of robotics is meeting deadlines,” Baker said. “When the whole team is waiting solely on you to finish your work quickly and with quality to be able to move forward with the project, the stress created makes it much harder to achieve those goals creating an endless cycle.”

Only 2 teams out of all 35 teams from regionals can advance to the Worlds competition.

“Wherever we place I will be happy because of what our robot represents,” Van said. “The time and effort that has been put into this robot into the hardware, software, marketing led all up to this point. And that’s something I wouldn’t change no matter the outcome of regionals.”