The Robotic Panthers Have Done It Again!
On February 3-4, the Licking Valley-based FLL team, the Robotic Panthers, traveled to Dayton to participate at state competition which, in order to attend, they had to stand out from other teams by receiving good scores from their judges at two previous competitions.
The Robotic Panthers have been a team for three years now, and have advanced to state competition every year after doing well at their district and regional competitions. This year, their team comprised of Jacey Nethers, Kameron May, Elsa and Henry Shaw, Nicholas Foltz, Cianna Woltz-Yarnelli, and John Chapman, has encountered success throughout their judging and rubrics, but their robot, named “HydroDragon”, had some difficulties at state competition with the five-year-old wheels not having proper traction, which in turn affected their robot game scores and programming.
Despite popular belief, FLL isn’t just comprised of robotics and legos. FLL, or First Lego League, was created in 1998 in order to encourage kids and teens to work together on fun and interesting projects in order to solve problems. Yes, Lego robotics is a large part of the program, but there are two other key activities as well that go into competing.
For one, the Project, which the Robot Panthers have been known for, asks the teams to find a problem within the year’s theme (this year was “HydroDynamics”) and then find an original and innovative solution to the problem. Along with the research, problem, and solution, teams must then effectively present their project to the judges.
This year, the Robotic Panther’s project examined the issues with communicating water quality test results and updates throughout the county. The team’s solution was to create a website where landowners and companies could directly communicate the status and quality of their creeks and streams in a more efficient manner.
Another part of the competition is Core Values, or how well the team members can work together, along with other teams. The judges will watch how teams present, interact with each other, and tackle a problem placed in front of them. Teams, and the kids as individuals, are encouraged to help others and cheer on their peers because in FLL, everyone wants everyone to do the best that th
ey can. Essentially, FLL encourages teams to cheer each other on, so that everyone is competing at their very highest potential.
Lastly, of course, is the robotics part of FLL. Teams are given a uniformed board (there’s one in Mr. Chapman’s room) and have to program their robot in order to complete as many missions on the board as possible in order to gain points. Not only do the teams have to get as many points as they possibly can, but their robot must also be efficient, reliable, sturdy, and consistent in order to receive good scores from the robot judges.
The Robotic Panthers are grateful for another year and hope that they have inspired other teams through their tenacity and spirit. Just like teams nationwide, the Panthers worked hard and embraced the core values of FLL through their kindness and supportive nature. The games may be over for the year, but the values from the game still live on through the students and past teams, who will forever have those morals with them.