Immokalee High competes at robotics state championship in Tampa – Naples Daily News

The Immokalee High School Robotics Team fine tunes their robots before a match in the VEX Robotics state championship at the Tampa Fairgrounds on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Two teams from Immokalee competed in the championship, with one team ranking 28th and the other 13th.(Photo: Dorothy Edwards/Naples Daily News)Buy Photo

As Kristians hands disappeared into the guts of the robot to work his magic, Jennifer held it steady while Isaiah updated the group on how much time was left.

Theyre on match 55 with one minute left. Were 58th. We have time, Isaiah said.

But the creases between Kristians brow deepened as the stress sunk in.

Jennifer went into maternal mode as Holiday by indie rock band Weezer played on the speakers.

Weezer is looking down on you and saying,Bro, relax. He likes robots too, I bet, she assured him.

Kristian was working to repair his robots motor before their next match. It was just one of many setbacks the team from Immokalee High had encountered while competing Friday at the Florida state championship VEX Robotics competition in Tampa.

Immokalee High School Robotics Team senior Kristian Trevino programs his robot before a match in the VEX Robotics state championship at the Tampa Fairgrounds on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Two teams from Immokalee competed in the championship, with one team ranking 28th and the other 13th.(Photo: Dorothy Edwards/Naples Daily News)

Two robots from Immokalee qualified for the games.

The first, Dragonzord, was the brainchild of captain and pilot Kristian Trevino, 18, and mechanics Jennifer Villa, 18, and Isaiah Reyna, 16.

The second robot, Megazord, was built and controlled by captain and pilot Damian Gonzalez-Perez, 17, and mechanics Christopher Rios, 18, and George Herrera-Carrillo, 15.

The bots, named after the forces made famous by the TV show Power Rangers, were competing against 55 others for the title of state champion and a spot at the world competition in Louisville, Kentucky,in April.

On a 12-foot-square playing field, the bots competed in six qualifying matches to see how many toy stars and cubes each could throw over to the other side in the allotted two minutes. The robots, driven by a designated team member through a game controller, can gain bonus points for climbing onto a corner post and for driving autonomously.

Each round brought a new set of problems: a broken circuit, faulty programming, a slowed drive system.

In one round, Megazord forgot to unlock the bots pinchers. The team could do nothing but look on as the bot squirmed helplessly like a handcuffed felon pinned to the ground.

It was an oopsie, Christopher said, refusing to let the setback dampen his spirits.

Then, after the third round, both bots suffered from broken motors.

This is the sort of thing that happens when you dont test the robots. They should have spent a week testing, but they ran out of time, said Fred Rimmler, their coach, who also teaches engineering at Immokalee.

The team had been making finishing touches to their robot until 8 p.m. the night before.

But the motor repair gave Dragonzord its mojo back almost.

Immokalee High School Robotics Team members, from left, Isaiah Reyna, Kristian Trevino, and Jenni Villa compete in the VEX Robotics state championship at the Tampa Fairgrounds on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Two teams from Immokalee competed in the championship, with one team ranking 28th and the other 13th.(Photo: Dorothy Edwards/Naples Daily News)

After hurling the bits of foam over the divide at a steady pace throughout the first half, Dragonzords pincher latched onto the opposing teams rubber band and couldnt free itself.

Thats never happened before. Its just a really bad day, Kristian said.

Dragonzord ultimately won four matches and lost two, disqualifying them from continuing.

But a team that had ranked higher than they did U.S.S.R. (University School Sharks Robotics) saw promise in the young 'zord and picked the team to compete alongside them in the quarterfinals.

When the teams found theyd be up against Trinity Dragons last years state champions they felt certain they wouldnt stand a chance.

The Dragons, whose captain sported matching neon green shoes, T-shirt and fanny pack (with an attached bottle of electrolyte sport jelly beans), had created a machine so flawless it made flinging oversized toys across a ring look like a ballet dancer pirouetting across a stage.

The match went as expected, with Dragonzord and U.S.S.R. losing 2-0.

I mean, theyve been doing this since middle school, and we made it to the quarterfinals in our first year, Jennifer said.

Although Immokalees robotics club is in its second year, this is the first year the team has competed outside the district.

Im proud of myself and everyone, but its still a bummer, she said.

Immokalee High School Robotics Team seniors Chris Rios, left, and Damian Gonzalez react as they lose a match during the VEX Robotics state championship at the Tampa Fairgrounds on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. Two teams from Immokalee competed in the championship, with one team ranking 29th and the other 13th.(Photo: Dorothy Edwards/Naples Daily News)

The loss weighed heavy on Kristian. Trinity Dragons had told him they were planning to pick Dragonzord to be on their team, but U.S.S.R. had priority over Trinityand chose Dragonzord before Trinity had the chance.

Im angry and upset, but its OK. It just really sucks, Kristian said.

Kristian plans to attendFlorida Polytechnic University in the fall and said the captains of Trinity and Vexecutives, another promising team, also might be attending.

Hopefully, if we all go there well have a great robotics team, he said.

Trinity Dragons, Vexecutives and Skull & Bones went on to win the state championship, and Dragonzord placed 13th.

Megazord won three out of their six qualifying matches and werent selected to compete in the quarterfinals. They ranked 28th overall.

Im not too down about this, Christopher said. Its good to show veterans that the little people like us can come so far and make a name for ourselves.

George, the only Megazord who wont be graduating this year, said hes looking forward to growing the team next year.

I want to learn and experience more," he said. "Seeing how far we got this year, I hope other people will see that and want to join next year.

Although neither Dragonzord nor Megazord made it to the top 10, which is needed to qualify for the world competition, the teams still might have the opportunity to compete.

States are awarded bonus spots based on participation level and growth, and this year Florida has a total of 26 open spots.

The teams will be notified Saturday whetherthey have qualified to compete in what is sure to be a fierce battle of the bots on an epic, international stage.

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Immokalee High competes at robotics state championship in Tampa - Naples Daily News