Sault robotics team to compete at world championship

The Notre-Dame-du-Sault robotics team has been invited to this year's world championships despite suffering a loss at the provincials.   

Having placed 11th out of 64 teams, the Sault-based team paved their way to the playoffs at the provincial championships, but slipped in their last match due to a mechanical failure.

Notre-Dame-du-Sault, however, received the Build Award granted by the judges for the craftsmanship of their robot, which means the robotics squad has officially earned a spot at the VEX Robotics World Championships.

This year's robotics championships will take place in Dallas, Texas April 25-27.   

For more information, read the news release below:

For the past seven months, elementary and secondary robotics teams from across Algoma have competed in a handful of competitions across the province. For many teams, this culminated in Niagara Falls at the Ontario Provincial Championships last month. Many teams struggled against teams that were top in Ontario, but in the world rankings.

This was not the case for the team from Notre-Dame-du-Sault. Playing in a game reminiscent of disc golf, the team, at their fourth competition of the season, was a top-ranked team throughout the day, slipping in their last match due to a mechanical failure. 

"Provincials was a big step for our team with much tougher competition. During the day, there were many challenges that our team had to overcome," noted Liam Spacek, one of the participants. "Our robot was getting caught on field elements frequently, so midway through the day, we modified the way we approached the gameplay."

Having finished 11th of 64 teams, they were able to move into the playoffs. They were unfortunately knocked out in the first round in a very tight 145 to 143 match.

The day was not a loss for the team. As in their previous three competitions, they were recipients of a judge’s award. This time they received the Build Award, having impressed the judges with the craftsmanship of their robot. This award brought with it an invitation to the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, TX, taking place April 25 to 27.

When the team was about their thoughts on the judges’ decision, Sophie Barrette replied, "I think there are several things that stood out to the judges about our robot. For example, we have a light robot, making it faster and more efficient. Speaking of efficiency, we have three intakes which make picking up disks a lot easier. We also have many sensors on our robot, including a GPS (Game positioning system) that can read the barcodes on the side of the field."

The World Championships is one of the largest robotics events in the world, consisting of nearly 3000 teams and upwards of 30 000 students from 40 countries across the globe from Grade 3 to post-secondary.

Along with the World Championships, the Notre-Dame team will be making a quick turnaround, joining teams from Blind River Public School and White Pines Collegiate and Vocational School to participate in the VEX events at the Skills Ontario Competition in Mississauga on May 1 to 3. The Skills Ontario Competition is a massive skilled trades competition featuring over 60 events for students from elementary school to post-secondary.

If you or your child is interested in becoming involved with the local robotics program, speak with your school principal, or contact Mark Carlucci at [email protected].

About ADSB VEX Robotics

ADSB VEX Robotics promotes robotics programming across Algoma. Over the past ten years, ADSB VEX Robotics has held annual elementary and secondary robotics competitions, supporting over 50 school-based teams. Along with competitions, ADSB VEX Robotics has promoted robotics and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education across the district through various community initiatives.