A sport is defined as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment”. There is always conflict regarding what that actually entails but it’s fair to say the topic is debatable.

Would you call the creation of an entirely automated robot to perform a certain task a sport? Most likely the answer to that question is a hard “no”. Yet, it involves the physical exertion (as Merriam Webster puts it) of the mind. Furthermore, such problem solving requires a level of skill. This was certainly demonstrated in this past Saturday’s VEX competition.

The Albany High robotics team has been renowned for their accomplishment in last year’s FIRST competition. This year, they are continuing with this string of success, winning first place in this Saturday’s scrimmage along with another one of the robot’s entered into the competition advancing to the semi finals.  

The teams were composed of members that worked for four months to design a robot that was able to successfully perform the following tasks:

1. Flip multi colored caps to fit the color of the assigned alliance
2. Place such caps on poles up to 34 inches
3. Toggle flags by shooting balls emerging from the robot
4. Center Park on desired platforms
5. Control the beginning 15 seconds of the match without touching the control (Referred to as autonomous period)

I had the pleasure of being a part of this competition and it was amazing to see the results of hard work and determination. The students that attended were present from 8 to 5- what a dedication!

Hopefully, the results of this competition foreshadow the great robotics season to come!