EAU CLAIRE — Things were very fast paced behind the scenes at the Pablo Center at the Confluence on Saturday, with a combination of students, mentors and robots putting on a unique show.
For them, Saturday was a chance for 11 FIRST robotics teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota to compete in an inaugural off-season event. The competition was called the “Leviathan Robotics Rampage,” named after the Pablo Center’s robotics team: the Leviathans.
“A lot of teams use the offseason to either build a second robot or try out a concept that they might have never done before,” said Paige Robers, a college student and mentor for Team Leviathan. “Like our robot; we built a second robot for the first time. A lot of teams are trying out different ways to accomplish the game.”
“Off-season events are awesome; they are a lot of fun, they are relatively low cost for us and it is a great way to give the students more experience in a real competition setting,” said Mark Holschuh, a mentor for Team Fondy Fire based out of Fond du Lac, Wis.
And for the Pablo Center, holding an event like this for free on a weekend is a big deal because of how equipped their facility is to put on a competition like this, said STEAM Program Manager Mary LaVenture.
“In general, there are pros and cons to it because we are an active building. We have performances and bookings, so there is a little bit of competition between ticketed events and the robotics team getting these spaces,” she said. “It is really special to have this because we believe in the education side of things and we really think there is something to be said for this.”
While FIRST, an abbreviation of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, provides a lot of opportunities for students throughout different grade levels, the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) acts as a varsity-level competition field for students at the high school level. Teams are not always based out of schools. Though that is true for some, others are created as a community group as each team designs their own robot to serve a variety of purposes.
But as for Saturday’s competition, teams were focused on working with unlikely allies to throw foam rings and complete time-based challenges to score points. What makes the teams unlikely is that visiting groups were picked at random to team up in a three-on-three arena with their custom made robots.
“It is a lot of teamwork that goes into this, because you are with two other teams in a match that most of the time you have never met before,” said Henrik Bielefeldt, a member of Team Leviathan. “You just have to work together to try and win. Some robots can do one thing, some can do the other and some can not do anything so you have to plan your strategy and really work together to make sure not to get in each other’s way.”
The highlight of the program and what students competing during this past weekend have been working on is a combination of science, technology, engineering and math skills. Throughout the program, students said they also learn things like leadership skills and problem solving skills they can use in future careers.
“Working under pressure is definitely a big thing, whether it is between match repairs or driving during the match itself, it is really intense,” said Joe DeLuc, a member of Team Tobor based out of Immanuel Lutheran High School in Eau Claire.
“I have been on the team for about four years now, which is crazy, but when I joined I didn’t know much about any tools or any engineering or really what I wanted to do,” said Maria Jouppi, a member of Chippewa Falls High School’s Team Avis Automata. “But you use a lot of tools and general problem solving; everything is solvable on the robot — it is never just a lost cause.”
Joining them at the competition, President of FIRST Wisconsin Renee Becker-Blau also talked about those skills which are an important part of their program. While building big robots and competitions are certainly fun, FIRST also connects students with mentors, typically from STEM backgrounds, to learn about these skills and opportunities.
Becker-Blau said the Pablo Center’s event helps to highlight the importance of bringing these opportunities to communities which may struggle with participation at larger events.
“It is great if you are able to travel down to Chicago or over to Boston to compete in this great program, but how does that give access to the students that really need it in rural areas and urban areas and et cetera?,” she said. “That is where FIRST has been in terms of increasing access and making it so that we can take the competition in off-season events to venues like this to really bring it in locally, so people can understand how exciting this program is.”
With events and competition rounds going on throughout the day, the hope for many was that students and mentors had a fun time by starting to compete in the off-season this summer.
“This was a really big deal, and I think it helps that we have a team that’s really organized and really motivated… There are so many pieces that go into it, but there are perks of being in Pablo as well because we have a lot of technical, skilled people here,” said LaVenture. “There are a variety of people here that have interest and knowledge and want support, and we are willing to give them the opportunity to get in front of people, talk about things and share their ideas.”
“The Pablo Center and this community — they are so passionate about providing students access to these programs that will change their lives,” said Becker-Blau. “That they were willing to help put this on means a lot to the ability for us to build more access in this area… If I could have a partner like this in all the cities in Wisconsin, then I would have so many children who have access to this program doing great things.”
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