Robotics Invitational Competition

On November 15th, High School West hosted the Robotics Invitational Competition in the gym where 20 schools from all over Long Island competed against each other in a tournament style game. The invitational is a repetition of the previous year’s game, which changes every January, with the purpose of showing new club members what robotics is like. Kids with an interest in robotics get to see first hand what the robotics team does at competitions. Plus, the winner of the competition receives a 3D printed trophy made by none other than High School West.

This year’s game is called Aerial Assist and is played by two teams, each consisting of three schools with one robot each. The objective of the game is to maneuver your robot around the field and try to score as many points as possible. Karl Dill, a Hills West Senior on the Robotics Team, said, “It’s a really nice way for all the teams to brush up on their skills for the First Robotics Regionals at Hofstra. Also it’s a great way to promote STEM interest in the community.”

Regionals at Hofstra is a three day event consisting of a practice day, a day of qualifying matches, and a day for semi-finals and finals. Last year, the Half Hollow Hills district came in 13th out 55 teams, making it to the semi-finals!

Thomas LaRosa, the Chief Executive Officer of the team, says, “The team really bonds at these competitions. It’s also a great experience to meet other teams from all other states.” The regional competitions are also a great way to meet teems from foreign countries. LaRosa added, “Last year we hosted a team from Brazil, sharing a dinner during competition, shipping parts to them. This year we hope to again host a team from Brazil and a team from Israel.“

For those interested in robotics, the team meets Tuesdays and Fridays at High School East right after school.