By Stephen Smoot
Hundreds of student competitors, coaches, parents, friends, and supporters came to Moorefield last weekend. They swarmed over the high school campus to set up displays of their work and guided their own in-house constructed robots to compete for honors.
Excited and eager young faces filled the halls and filed into the Moorefield High School gymnasium Saturday morning as the competition got underway. They came from all over Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia to compete in a regional qualifier with winners advancing to the next tier.
Moorefield’s own highly respected and accomplished squad could not compete in this qualifier event because the governing body prohibits any kind of “home field advantage.”
“I don’t think people know how successful our robotics team is here,” said Rachel Williams, a teacher at Moorefield Middle School. Her son Brayden Sackett Williams competes on the Moorefield team. She added “they have placed every time they’ve competed. I hope this puts them in the spotlight they deserve.”
The organization that runs these competitions carries the acronym name FIRST. Founded in 1989, it stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The global non profit “prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages four through 18.”
Programs rest on a set of core values that guide the teams as they “conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements.” The program even includes an outreach component where, like Future Farmers of America and 4 H competitions, competitors have to present and explain as part of the competition. This develops a number of the in-demand “soft” skills that employers and others say are currently in short supply.
“We’re thrilled,” said Moorefield coach Bonnie Crites who, along with fellow coach Alicen Adams came to volunteer to help to coordinate the event. “This is big,” she added, then said “This is the first one Moorefield has hosted.” Crites shared that 57 teams came to compete.
Adams, who recently received a Presidential award for teaching excellence, stated that “we’ve really had to fight for West Virginia to be represented in FIRST robotics for this region.”
FIRST officials, very pleased with Moorefield, told the local coaches that organizers in Hardy County put together a better event in four days than other venues had with months of planning.
Doors opened at 10 AM and competition commenced an hour later. The packed gymnasium, just as it would for a basketball or volleyball game, rose for the National Anthem. All then set down to the business of competition as the robots and their handlers got underway.
From Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville Maryland came Ganesh Ramamurthi. As his team’s robot handlers battled to advance in the gymnasium, Ramamurthi fulfilled his role in outreach. Teams set up displays with photographs and explanations of the processes undertaken.
“Our team prides itself for being uplifting,” he shared, explaining that the team requires no fees and holds no tryouts. The goal lies in helping anyone with interest “to be able to expose yourself to engineering.” His team has 25 competitors in total.
Each team creates a unique design for their robots, not for aesthetics, but for strategic purpose. Teams can score in multiple ways with designs matching team strengths and how they plan to accumulate points.
“The entire robot is 3D printed, designed and produced by the team,” Ramamurthi said.
Designs engineer excitement for the team members as well. He said that for him “the coolest thing for me is the claw.”
Four areas on the Moorefield High School gymnasium floor, protected by a massive heavy cover, had rings for competition. Two teams lined the sides of each square competition area with four robots in operation. Two officials in referee shirts oversaw competition.
The tension among teams matched that of anyone battling in basketball or vying for volleyball victories. Spectators leaned forward to get the best views while a play by play man delivered the action over microphones as effectively as the radio Voice of the West Virginia Mountaineers Tony Caridi.
Rosa Golac and Johannett Camacho hailed from South Lakes High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Camacho, a senior and Gloac, who is in the junior class, both have families that came from Bolivia.
For Camacho and Golac, the team gives them an opportunity to try and liberate fellow students who go to low income schools from their challenges through opportunities in STEM, an educational acronym that stands for science technology and math.
First, however, the competitors had to rebuild from nearly nothing after COVID restrictions to even have a team.
Camacho shared that for three years, South Lakes had no team at the high school level. A middle school team existed but it was “not able to do robotics in the pandemic.”
“I was one of those students,” chimed in Golac. COVID struck her class in sixth grade and she participated in robotics in eighth grade. She recalled how she told those who could have an impact to “please have a robotics team when I get there.”
“We talked to different teachers and old coaches,” Golac went on to add.
Hard work and perseverance paid off for the students as they formed a club and prepared to put a team in competition. Camacho quipped that “ when we created this club, the number of Stem clubs increased by 50 percent” because so few opportunities existed in those fields at the time.
The same drive that pushed the students to form the club drives them further now. “We do everything independently,” said Golac, who went on to say “our mentors called themselves the warm bodies in the room” because the team takes care of every aspect of the operation.
“No matter where you start in robotics, you can go where you want to be. Camacho shared this and then discussed along with Golac how the team inspires others to play – and perhaps eventually work – in technology.
Camacho shared that “we started an elementary school summer camp to get kids interested in robotics.” Golac then pointed out that the feeder elementary schools, many serving low income areas the struggle economically, have “very few STEM opportunities.”
Team members, as Camacho describes “set up every detail of teaching, coaching” and even morale building.
They also use robotics as a wedge to work with students who use English as a second language, working a great deal with young people who primarily speak Spanish to offer a hand up and pathways through STEM to work toward the American Dream.
Crites expressed appreciation for how the community came together to support the competition. She shared that staff from Burke and Herbert Bank and every school in Hardy County came to volunteer and help. “About half of the American Woodmark plant and a lot of others are here, too,” she said.
Volunteers staffed an indoor concession stand. By the front door, Maysvillle’s Meadowbrook Farms food truck offered delicious barbeque style victuals, while Twin Timber Coffee and Creamery in Wardensville provided hot coffee and other delicious drinks to ward off the chill of the day.
This day centered around the competitive spirit of hard working young people. As Williams said “you’ll see people getting frustrated and banging their fists on the floor. You’ll see them celebrating too.”
She also stated that she was thrilled to see competitions driven by intellect take center stage in the area.
Moorefield High School’s robotics team will travel to Silver Spring, Maryland to compete on Feb 8.
