West Valley School robotics team dives into preparations for world championship

The West Valley School Gummy Sharks robotics team is diving into preparations to compete on the international stage at the FIRST World Championship. 

Team members Owen Banek, Marcus Bedtelyon, Brandon Hemmelman, Caleb Kreuger, Kody Mangis, Hap Pemble, Henry Weber and Andrew Willis are currently fundraising to cover travel, lodging and meal expenses for the April 16–19 event in Houston. West Valley science teacher Matt Honcoop said the team still needs to raise about $5,000. 

In addition to competing and attending conference sessions, the team looks forward to touring the NASA Johnson Space Center. For some, it will also be their first time flying. 

The team advanced to the world competition through a combination of performance and “luck of the draw,” Willis and Honcoop said. The state tournament was canceled and changed to a scrimmage after winter storms prevented several teams on the east side of the state from traveling to the February competition, according to Honcoop. A lottery was then held to decide which team would represent Montana at the world tournament. 

The Gummy Sharks will be judged on their robot’s performance in a game and presentation of an Innovation Project in addition to their adherence of the competition’s core values — teamwork, inclusion (respecting others), impact, fun, discovery and innovation (creativity and persistence).  

This year’s theme, “Submerged,” includes missions like restoring a coral reef, releasing a shark, adjusting ship cargo, retrieving sunken treasure and collecting research samples. Students program autonomous robots to complete these tasks on a pool-sized game board. To accomplish these tasks, students programmed an autonomous robot to push, pull, lift, twist and slide around the game board, Honcoop said.    

For the Innovation Project, students researched and engineered a solution related to ocean navigation, underwater exploration, or ecological impact, presenting their findings to judges. 

DURING A March 11 practice in Honcoop’s classroom, the Gummy Sharks were busy refining their robot, strategizing gameplay and designing a display banner and thank-you cards for donors. They’ve been practicing three times a week. 

“Each team has two and a half minutes to get as many points as they can. A lot of strategy comes into how the board is going to get set up because in two and a half minutes, you’re not going to be able to get to every one of the missions," said coach and West Valley librarian Kris Keller. 

“There’s a billion ways to make one of these robots it just depends on what your strategy for the board is,” he said, explaining the team initially tested two base models before selecting the best fit.  

Willis said the team looked at mission difficulty, focusing on building a robot that can complete the ones with high point values. They’ve made different adjustments and modifications throughout the season — and on the fly at competitions — to improve certain capabilities such as lifting. 

Keller said the key to a successful design is being able to replicate the same action consecutively. Hemmelman noted that the code can be good, but the robot doesn’t always “listen,” which can be frustrating when each degree of movement is important. 

“What you’re seeing Brandon doing right here is lining up the robots," Keller explained. “They each have certain marks they are using to line up the robot. If they have any variation of those marks, too far to the left, too far to the right, not far enough back, it throws off all the code.”  

FIRST — an acronym of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — Lego League is designed to introduce students to science, technology and engineering to students through hands-on learning. The FIRST Lego League is open to students in grades fourth through eighth. A FIRST Tech Challenge program is also available to grades seventh through 12th. 

To donate, people may mail checks to West Valley School, 2290 Farm to Market Road Kalispell, MT  59901. People may also donate through PayPal at https://tinyurl.com/WVStechwarriors. 

For more information about FIRST Lego League, visit, www.firstlegoleague.org. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.

    The Gummy Sharks team from West Valley School look over Zia Walker of RoboScoutSquad 18240's First Tech Challenge robot at the FIRST LEGO League Challenge held at West Valley School on Saturday, Jan. 25. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)