TRIMONT, MINNESOTA — Dozens of elementary students from across Martin County, Minn., teamed up for an energetic robotics competition at Trimont Elementary School the morning of Saturday, April 2nd.
This collaborative event required students to navigate their robots around the game field to gather small beanbags from across the game field and secure them within a central goal. Teams were encouraged to work together during each 90-second match, finding ways to make the most of their robots varied specialties. Points were scored for each beanbag swept away from the field’s edges and into the goal, with a bonus if their robot was able to lift itself off the field before time ran out.
This Martin County KnowHow! VEX IQ Robotics Competition saw 3rd & 4th graders from the Truman, Fairmont, Martin County West, and Granada-Huntley-East Chain school districts — more than 60 students across 19 teams — working together to face a friendly collaborative challenge. These students spent several weeks building and learning how to operate their VEX IQ robots, and were excited to put their hard work to the test.
After each team had the opportunity to hone their skills in 9 qualification matches, they were ranked based on their average scores. The qualification rankings were:
Crushers (MCW) — 35.86 points
User 247 (Fairmont) — 34.29 points
The Jaguars (Truman) — 34.29 points
Viper (Fairmont) — 33.29 points
Captain Ducky (MCW) — 31.14 points
The Villagers (Fairmont) — 29.14 points
Gear Girls (MCW) — 27.00 points
Destructo 5000 (MCW) — 26.86 points
Red Roses (Fairmont) — 25.86 points
Bravo 6 (GHEC) — 24.29 points
Bomgaars (GHEC) — 24.14 points
Southern Fishies (MCW) — 24.00 points
Boom (GHEC) — 22.71 points
The Fruties (MCW) — 21.43 points
Eagle Claw (Fairmont) — 20.71 points
WallyWorld (GHEC) — 19.29 points
Jag Teens (Truman) — 18.14 points
3 Muskateers (Fairmont) — 18.00 points
Goldfish (Truman) — 16.71 points
The teams were then paired up for single-match finals matches, and the top 3 team-ups were:
GOLD: The Jaguars (Truman) + Viper (Fairmont)
SILVER: Crushers (MCW) + User 247 (Fairmont)
BRONZE: Captain Ducky (MCW) + The Villagers (Fairmont)
Thanks to all of the students who participated, their fans who came to cheer them on, all of our adult & youth volunteers (including members of Fairmont Robotics’ Team 2847) who helped put on this event, and our generous sponsors! You’re all an important part of this fun application of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in our community.