Robotics finishes building robot
The robotics team completes building their robot for competitions
Sophomore Rhett Pierce controls the robotics team’s newest robot as the team puts on the final touches before their next competition.
The robotics team recently completed building their robots for their upcoming competitions in March and April.
The team is assigned one task each year and is required to design and build a robot that can complete this task within a six week time frame that begins right after winter break.
“We have to build a robot that is capable of picking up a giant ball, like a yoga ball,” senior co-captain Joe Gunter said. “[Then] it has to shoot [the ball] into a goal six feet off the ground.”
In order to build a robot with this ability, students have to be willing to sacrifice their own time outside of school.
‘The students, on average, have to put in 100 hours during build season,” robotics sponsor Ann Ring said. “In the offseason the students meet year-round, once a week.”
Putting in three hours every day after school and up to six hours on the weekends, the robotics students have had to race against time in order to complete their robot.
“I am always amazed each year at the combined ingenuity and tenacity of the students,” Ring said. “One of the most rewarding times as a sponsor was watching the students handled the pressure and problems like adults.”
As a leader on the team, Gunter “enjoys the collective effort and creativity that comes out of it.”
Junior Sam Lopez is in his 2.5th year on the JagWire staff. He was the sports editor his sophomore year and is now the news editor. His interests include soccer, snowboarding, scuba diving, travelling and, above all else, playing guitar. He likes to spend his weekends in downtown Kansas City searching for new restaurants or walking around with his friends. Lopez is incredibly excited for his 2.5th year on the JagWire and hopes to accomplish a lot...
