EHOVE Mavericks robot reaches quarterfinals; named 1 of top 8 teams

College Tech Prep* Engineering team compete in two
"FIRST Overdrive" robotics contests

 

EHOVE Mavericks: Pictured (front, left): Adam Rectanus ( Bellevue); Jessica Heydinger ( Norwalk); Paul Bansek ( Edison); Lydia Yeckley (Sand. Central Catholic); Mentor Stephanie Heydinger. Middle, left: Instructor Philip Weinser; Mentor Alex Yeckley of Sierra Lobo; Steve Ortman (W. Reserve); Instructor Jim McIntyre; Tony Renwand ( Bellevue); Ryan McIntyre ( Fostoria). Back, left: Mentor Rich Evan of PBOSC, Instructor Steve Spriggs and Chris Dahm ( Norwalk)

MILAN - Many people remember their high school years for the events that took place on the basketball court. Years from now, a team from EHOVE Career Center is also likely to recall their shining moment on the quad, but not for the typical “round ball” athletics. Their courtside location is where their engineering team, the Mavericks, pitted their skills against dozens of teams participating in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.

For the second year, EHOVE competed in the nationwide contest in which student teams had just six weeks to build a remote controlled robot to compete in games with other student-built robots. The team competed at two Regional contests in Pittsburgh on March 14-15 and at the Wolstein Arena in Cleveland on March 21-22.

This year’s assignment was to build a robot that grabbed and threw 40-inch inflatable balls 6 feet into the air while circling a track. In Pittsburgh, EHOVE’s robot suffered damaged lifter arms early on in the contest, finishing 34 th out 38 teams. In Cleveland, the team reached the quarterfinals and was named one of the top eight teams among 46 teams from Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, Virginia and Wisconsin. Last year, the team finished 39th out of 86 teams in its division at finals held at the Georgia Dome.

Although the team did not qualify for the championship round next month in April, the project is the experience of a lifetime, said Instructor Jim McIntyre. “To have 15,000 people cheering you on for your robot is something students won’t forget,” said McIntyre. “Using your mindpower to build the machine and fix problems that crop up on the court teaches so much more than engineering.”

The College Engineering Tech Prep* class (a partnership between EHOVE Career Center and BGSU Firelands) worked with local engineers from Sierra Lobo and Plumb Brook Operational Support Group) to apply their knowledge of mechanical design, robotics and physics to the project.

FIRST Robotics Competition founder is Dean Kamen, inventor, physicist, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to developing technologies and is the inventor of the Segway Human Transporter.

EHOVE instructors Jim McIntyre and Steve Spriggs guided the EHOVE FIRST team, which included: