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Winnovation competes at the Seven Rivers Regional
SUBMITTED PHOTO The Gazette
Winnovation, Winnebago’s FIRST Robotics Team 1625, spent April 5-6 at the Seven Rivers Re-gional in LaCrosse, Wis. They proudly brought home the Industrial Design Award, which “cele-brates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, func-tion, and aesthetics.”
Members of Winnebago’s Winnovation, FIRST Robotics Team 1625, traveled to LaCrosse, Wis., to compete in the Seven Rivers Regional on April 5-6. Fifty-four teams gathered to compete in hopes of qualifying for the World Championships to be held in Houston, TX.
Each team was scheduled for 10 qualifying matches over that Friday and Saturday. The game, Crescendo, involved collecting “notes” (foam loops) at one end of the playing field and racing back to the other end of the field. Three robots faced three other robots in competition, and there were many collisions. Robots can only take so much damage before it affects their performance.
The Winnovation robot had a hook pop up just as it passed under a field structure, trapping it for the rest of the match. The force of the hit even broke two welded joints. Back in the pit, large wrenches were used to torque it back to its original shape, and gussets and pop rivets saved the day.
At the end of Friday, the team was 5-2, and ranked 22nd. Saturday morning came and matches were going well until both of their partners fizzled out in a match, leaving the scoring to Winnovation. They went into the draft, ranked 22 out of 54. During the alliance selection, they were the first pick for the 6th seeded team, 2826, Team WAVE from Oshkosh, Wis. The team was excited for the elimination matches in the afternoon.
The alliances were set up for the double elimination brackets. Winnovation finished tied for 5th place. During the Awards ceremony, Winnovation was given the Industrial Design Award. The award, sponsored by General Motors, “celebrates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics.” This year’s robot is named “Jack,” because it looks like a box and moving play elements come out of it, like a Jack-in-the-box.
Winnovation wants to thank the community, their sponsors, and families for all of their support! The team had a great season and learned lots! The team will compete again at a local off-season competition, R2OC, on July 27 at Rock Valley College’s PE Center. There will be 32 teams will be in attendance, so stop out and support team Winnovation.
