“And we have a green light!” The announcer yells, as the battle-bots prepare their weapons in the ring. In an all out fight, bot against bot, drivers prepare for the worse. Bolts and parts fly around, metal clangs against metal as the bots go at it. “We have a winner! 6217 Bomb-Botz!”

Parents of Cannon Falls Robotics Students wonder if the robotics competition is going to be something like this. Competitors from around the world met together in Duluth to compete in the FIRST robotics competition from March fifth through the seventh. The robots aren’t armed with weapons, but instead contraptions to get their certain task done. These include shooting mechanism to shoot and arms to break down doors.

As the parents are aligned and in the arena, they get to see what their sons and daughters have been working on for the past 6 weeks, “Robotics is truly a unique experience unlike anything else that is offered in the school,“ stated Alex Engebretsen, a member of the team. “In this program kids get to do a lot of different activities.”

Throughout the day the team competed in eight different qualification matches. Overall they had 1 win to 7 losses, however they were 49th out of 60.  “I was slightly disappointed, but we did fairly well for a rookie team.” One rookie team placed 7th, while the rest were below the bomb-botz.

The competition was packed with sixty teams from around the world, some coming from the far reaches of Hawaii and even Australia. These teams compete not only for regional champion, but for other awards. .”

Parents and Nerds alike aren’t the only ones interested in the future of these brainiacs. The Air Force brought in a simulator and had a station where they talked to the kids about the importance of robotics for college applications or for ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Center). “I think the reason that they like it so much is that they see how you react under pressure, “Heather Sharp pondered, a once Air Force officer. “As I see my kids in robotics, I see them reacting under pressure and under other stressful situations. This is very crucial for the Air Force.

Although bots did not smash against each other and break into spectacular pieces, the Cannon Falls Bomb-Botz did get something out of it, experience. They now know what the competition is like, and are ready to come back next year ready to win!