Parkersburg High School robotics team crushes the competition, moves on to states – Parkersburg News

The field Tipping Point is played on at Brooke High School. (Photo Provided)Jackson Simmons, 15, practices driving the robot at Parkersburg High School. (Photo Provided)Two alliances are shown competing with their robots at Tipping Point at Brooke High School. (Photo Provided)The Parkersburg High School Robotics team is shown after winning first and second place in the Dec. 11 robotics competition at Brooke High School. From left to right, Logan Miller, 15; Bradley Leonard, 18; Jackson Simmons, 15; Jace Cox, 14; Logan Richard, 14; Paidin Evans, 15; and Peyton Snider, 14. (Photo Provided)

The Parkersburg High School Robotics team is shown after winning first and second place in the Dec. 11 robotics competition at Brooke High School. From left to right, Logan Miller, 15; Bradley Leonard, 18; Jackson Simmons, 15; Jace Cox, 14; Logan Richard, 14; Paidin Evans, 15; and Peyton Snider, 14. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG The Parkersburg High School VEX Robotics team won first and second place in their first ever competition at Brooke High School on Dec. 11.

The students competed in a game called Tipping Point, which is played over two minutes on a 12-by-12-foot field. Students use remote-controlled robots that they spend their spare time designing, building and coding.

Two alliances that are each composed of two separate teams, go head to head in this game mode. The goal is to collect more points than the opposing alliance by scoring rings, moving mobile goals and elevating on balanced platforms at the end of the match. There are 72 rings that can be scored and seven mobile goals that can be moved to different alliance zones for points. Tipping Point can also be played in skills challenges, where one team competes against the clock.

They did a fabulous job, said Steve Reiner, robotics program teacher at PHS.

One Parkersburg team is comprised of upperclassmen and the other freshmen, though they all work together on their robots and preparing for events. They took first and second place in the competition, and received three out of the five awards available. They also earned a spot in the 2021-22 West Virginia State Championships on March 12 at the Fairmont State University Falcon Center.

Jackson Simmons, 15, practices driving the robot at Parkersburg High School. (Photo Provided)

So were really excited to have that opportunity to have the kids interested in wanting to compete, said Reiner. As advisers, we dont tell them how to build a robot; were just here for guidance and support, but they do the rest of it. Its all of their hard work and dedication that theyve put in over the countless hours that they do after school.

Bobbi Gelpi, a math teacher at PHS, also supports the team.

I usually see someone in the morning before school starts, she said. They come up for sixth period lunch, and they spend their entire lunch period every day five days a week working. And theyll stay after school for as many nights as well stay with them.

She said they dont normally leave the school until after 5:30 p.m..

Sophomore Logan Miller said the team has put more than 200 hours into one of two robots and is working on building the fourth variation to get ready for states.

Two alliances are shown competing with their robots at Tipping Point at Brooke High School. (Photo Provided)

Were constantly working on it and upgrading, redesigning it, making sure everything is good to go for another competition, he said.

Reiner said the robots are designed from the ground up and must meet the regulations manual the VEX robotics competition team creates every year.

The team recounted an intense moment had during the competition at Brooke High School. Team captain Bradley Leonard had to fix one of the bots in between rounds and cut his hand in the process.

One of the bots broke down, when the motor died, and I was carrying part of the bot with my hand bleeding while taking it apart, said Leonard, a senior. I only had like five minutes to put it together, and I tore it off and put it back on while my hand was bleeding.

Miller said they were running across the gymnasium for parts, tools and motors in order to fix the bot in time for the next round.

The field Tipping Point is played on at Brooke High School. (Photo Provided)

Miller said the team feels nervous after winning its first competition.

Motivation is high, but this next competition were going to go and come out with our heads up high, because even though weve gotten into states already, we can take more from it with practice and experience, he said.

Freshman Paidin Evans said the competition was incredibly nerve-wracking and scary, but he feels more confident after the win.

Now that we know that we can do good, we know we can do better, and know that someday we could take robotics in college, he said.

Their next robotics competition is at PHS on Jan. 29.

People who would like to support the team or volunteer to help can call 304-420-9595 and ask for Gelpi.

James Dobbs can be reached at jdobbs@newsandsentinel.com

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Parkersburg High School robotics team crushes the competition, moves on to states - Parkersburg News