CCHS Robotics Team wins regional competition, advances to state

Published 5:10 pm Tuesday, January 31, 2023

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County High School Robotics Team brought home a first-place trophy last week after dominating their opponents during their previous regional competition.

The First Tech Challenge — Power Play GA South Georgia League Tournament was held in Macon on Saturday, Jan. 21. Packer Robotics went against 16 other teams from across the region including Albany, Thomasville, Forsyth, Columbus, Butler, Cusseta and Macon.

The Packers Robotics Team was started in 2018 with CCHS science teacher Vance Hurst as the advisor. Hurst now oversees the team with the help of fellow teacher Robert Pitts.

Together, the advisors spearhead the team of approximately 11 students and push them to work together and apply the skills they’ve learned from class.

First Tech Challenge tasks the teams to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.

The Observer spoke on Monday, Jan. 30, with seniors Wade Swartzentruber and Morgan Powell along with junior Karla Martinez about their recent win.

The students said the competition was a different experience from their usual local competitions in Albany. They said the tournament was an intense experience for the Packer Robotics team and challenged them to work together quickly to complete and defend their circuit under a time crunch.

“We have to perfect our game. The Robotics Team must function like clockwork. There’s not much room for error,” Swartzentruber said.

Packer Robotics spent about five to six weeks designing and building the base version of its robot. In the competition, the robot is referred to as 14393, but the students named it “Jeffery.”

The team continues to work on and upgrade Jeffery’s design and mechanics after each competition.

All three students learned about the team while attending Hurst’s class. Martinez said she joined the team after attending a few meetings.

Being a team member gave students like Swartzentruber and Powell a sense of belonging.

“Every time we meet together, every time we have a competition, everything we do just brings us closer together. It’s not just like a club but like a family because we’re so reliant on each other,” Swartzentruber said.

While participating in Packer Robotics, the students have learned coding, engineering and practical thinking skills. Some students are considering furthering their education after high school and pursuing a career in electrical engineering from their participation in the club.

Packer Robotics will be advancing to the Georgia State Championship to be held at Riverside Preparatory Academy in Gainesville. The competition will take place from Friday, Feb. 24, to Saturday, Feb. 25.

The ideal Packer Robotics team member must have self-determination, motivation, perseverance and problem-solving skills, according to Pitts.

Interested students should speak to either advisors Vance Hurst or Robert Pitts about joining the team.

Packer Robotics meets twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.