Robotics team goes to showdown

Submitted by Weston County Extension Office
 
Weston County 4-H Robotics members along with their leader, Caleb Carter, and their families
traveled to Laramie June 15-17 for the Wyoming State 4-H Showcase Showdown. The two Weston County teams participated in the mission challenge and construction portions of the contest. This was the first competitive experience for the teams.
Months before the competition, the members met bi-weekly then weekly to learn fundamentals of robotics and improve their skills through hands-on construction using Lego Mindstorms robotics and tablets. After members built their robots, they programmed them to complete specific tasks. Caleb is new to town, but jumped right in to teach the members all about this fun project. They responded well to his coaching and teamwork with their fellow 4-H members, which paid off for them in their first robotics competition at Showcase Showdown.
Anika Oleson and Kayla Oleson won first place in the intermediate robot construction and received fifth place in the mission challenge. 
John Sandrini, Emerett Josephson, and Lane Carter received fourth place both in intermediate robot construction and the mission challenge.
While members were at Showcase Showdown, they also had the opportunity to participate in hands-on educational workshops and experience the University of Wyoming’s campus. Weston County 4-H’ers enjoyed learning how to tie flies for fishing, swing dancing, and dyed shirts using a marbling technique.