The Tewksbury High Titans Robotics team competed in the New England North Shore District event on Saturday and Sunday, a regional robotics competition hosted by FIRST Robotics at Reading High School.

Thirty-six teams from around New England participated.

The Titans moved through the qualifying 3 v 3 rounds, and then were chosen to compete in the finals alongside Littleton (MA) High School and Windham (NH) High School thanks to their robots ability to execute a specific challenge in the arena. The three-team alliance proved strategic, taking the first 2 rounds quickly for the win.

The victory was significant for the team. The TMHS robotics team started competing in 2004, winning in 2008, and placing second 2-3 times over the years. The team will travel to another regional competition at the University of New Hampshire.

Teams compete on a pre-defined field with a driver, bot operator, and a drive coach who calls plays.

Teams range in size, skill and age at the tournament and compete six at a time (two alliances of three teams). The theme for this years competition was CRESCENDO, with challenges based around shooting notes into amps and speakers.

The team is supported by volunteer mentors, many of whom are professionals from a host of industries, including engineering, computer science, business, and more. While mentors support the design and development of the robot, they also help students hone soft skills for future college and professional success.

Scott Morris leads the team with Victor Impink, Abiche Dewilde, Berk Akinci, Chris Mullins, Randy August, Chris White and Josh Nichols. TMHS alums David Penney and Eric Impink have been mentoring the team as well.

Competitors for Tewksbury included Donovan Conway, Liam Mullins, Maya Sachdev, Renuka Late, Corvid Dewilde, Jared Woodman, Alex Grove, Christine Buskey, Jordan Troughton, Joanna Green, Becca Matte and Dylan Warren. Additional team members include Amelia Lombardi, Luc Jodoin, and Caden White.

This years challenge had the robots intaking foam rings and shooting at high and low goals, each at different angles.A climbing element was also included where robots pulled themselves off the ground and hung by a chain. The team was not without game-time challenges including overcoming a crumpled arm support, two bent shooter axles, wiring issues, and loose bolts. According to the mentors, the team kept solving problems and never missed a match.

The students have worked on the robot in the evenings and weekends since January. Team members build everything from scratch, gaining technical skills such as machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, wiring and coding, as well as learning project management, public relations and finance. The addition of a swerve drive this year, a component that allows the robot to spin and move quickly, was a gamechanger for the team.

Morris considers the team the premier STEM opportunity at TMHS and encourages community members interested in giving their time to get involved. In addition, the team is always seeking sponsors and is grateful to this years support from iRobot, Onco Filtration, Teradyne, PTC, Holt & Bugbee, Qualcomm, Tokyo Electron, BAE Systems, RTX, Routsis Training, and Tewksbury Public Schools.

Contact the team via email at frcteam1474@gmail.com for additional sponsorship opportunities or to get involved.

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TMHS Robotics wins regional competition | Sports | homenewshere.com - Woburn Daily Times