This weekend of March 9-March 11, the Rochester Robotics Team went to Waterford for their first competition of the season.

“We won most of our matches during qualifications,” said junior Nidhi Tigadi. “So we did really well and had very few complications.”

Spending hours and hours in the workshop, the team finished their robot and brought it to the competition ready to complete the challenges for the qualifying rounds of the robotics season.

“After qualifications we were ranked 16th out of the 40 teams that were there,” said Tigadi.

Another component of the robotics competitions is the playoffs where teams form alliances and work with other schools and their robots. They then compete with the other alliances.

“So what they do is, people who are in the top 8 get to select who they want to be in their alliance,” Tigadi said. “Then it goes into a bracket and they playoff against each other.”

Overall, they had a good first competition. But they don’t have much time to rest. Next weekend the robotics team with be traveling to Milford for the second competition of the season.

The team also won the Gracious Professionalism Award at Waterford this past weekend.

“The Gracious Professionalism Award is for what you’re doing to help other teams and be a team player for the greater good,” said Tigadi.

Members of Rochester’s team went to other groups and offered tools, replacement parts, or assistance to the robots and teams of other schools which earned them the award.    

Having completed quarter finals, the team is looking forward to what lies ahead.