The Cannon Falls robotics team, the Bomb-Botz, ignited their season on January 7th with the global game reveal. The robotics competition is powered by FIRST, an international organization that works to introduce students to STEM, particularly by organizing robotics competitions. Each year, an online video releases a new game with new objectives. The team must analyze the video, determine what tasks this year’s robot must complete, and design a robot to complete those tasks. 

After the game was revealed, the team had six weeks to prototype, build, and code their bot. Team coach, Joe Coyle, expanded on the early season design process: “Just after learning the new game, the team has great design sessions. We have small group breakout sessions and full team discussions. This is my favorite time of the season. I like to listen to awesome ideas flowing from teenagers.”

After a hectic month and a half, on March 3rd, the team traveled to their first of two competitions, this one in Duluth, Minnesota. Competitions are three days long, containing both qualifying and playoff matches. The team competed in approximately 25 matches over the three days, ultimately placing 26th out of 60 teams. The team did not make it into the playoff matches, but knew what improvements they needed to make to excel at their next competition. 

Upon returning home from their Duluth competition, the team had only three weeks to make all necessary changes they needed before their next competition. They needed to improve both mechanics and software to stay competitive in the competitions to come. 

Before they knew it, their second competition was upon them. On March 23rd they traveled to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Facing only 54 other teams this time, they held their own, but unfortunately landed in 33rd place, knocking them out of the playoffs once again. However, senior captain Teagan Strecker was optimistic about the outcome; “I’m really proud of the team and what they accomplished. There are so many factors that go into qualifying for playoffs, but I know that the team did their part and built a reliable robot that was competitive on the field.” 

The team had averaged 30 points more per match and had no major damage to their robot during the intense matches, an impressive improvement. Coyle was pleased with his team’s performance: “We had strong student leaders on this team. I’m proud of how all the students worked together, made tough decisions, and built a competitive team. Every year, we get a little better in several areas. Team members should be proud of this legacy.”

With Duluth and Cedar Falls behind them, the team concluded their official season. They will utilize the next few months to clean, organize, and prepare for next year. They also put on numerous public demonstrations throughout the summer, including one at the Cannon Valley Fair over the 4th of July weekend.