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A Spectacular Start to Robotics Season

Shawnigan Robotics got the 2022-23 season off to a spectacular start last weekend as hosts and winners of the first tournament of the year.
 
The School played host to 34 robotics teams from six organizations (five individual high schools, as well as a combined group representing the Comox Valley School District). The robots competed in a disc golf-type game called Spin Up, going through a total of 53 qualifying matches to rank the teams. The top 32 teams made the playoffs, then paired up and played through four rounds to determine the champions.
 
When the dust settled, the Shawnigan team of Tye E., Aniela H., Kyan M., and Ben P. and their partners from Vancouver emerged victorious. All four are Grade 12 students, and Tye and Kyan are both in their fifth year in the robotics program.
 
All six Shawnigan teams looked good in their debut tournament, and that bodes well for the rest of the season, said Head of Digital Innovation Mr. Paul Doig.
 
“The teams are scoring well early on, which is positive,” he said. “If we can maintain that, that would be great. But everyone else is going to evolve too.”
 
Mr. Doig says robotics amounts to “project-based learning,” and it goes beyond just competing. The students have to present designs to judges and keep a detailed logbook. Along the way, they learn things like design theory, collaboration, and communication.
 
The season will consist of six tournaments in all, culminating with the Island Championship, hosted by Brentwood College School. The top three robots from that competition will qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas in April. The School hasn’t sent anyone to Worlds since 2017, and the fifth-year students are particularly motivated to qualify. A team from Shawnigan did qualify in 2020, but the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The next tournament for Shawnigan Robotics will take place in Comox on December 10. As they cheer at robotics tournament, Go Robots!
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