Vex IQ 2022–2023|Slapshot|Season Recap|
COMPETITION OVERVIEW
During the 2022–2023 season, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the VEX IQ middle school robotics competition, the largest robotics competition worldwide. Bringing together students from grades 6 to 8, this challenge revolves around designing, building, and programming a robot to accomplish specific tasks, all while working collaboratively in teams of 2 to 10 members. The competition offers two modes of play, both of which are crucial to the team's overall success. Teamwork and skills, each providing one minute to complete the game. In teamwork matches, teams join forces to maximize their points by successfully overcoming the game challenge in the minute time allocated. In skills matches, participants tackle the game challenge individually, competing in both driver skills runs, where they manually control the robot, or an autonomous run, where the robot operates independently to complete the challenge within the minute given. Teamwork and skills are evaluated separately, with teamwork rankings determined by the average of all matches, while skills rankings consider the sum of the two highest runs in driver and autonomous scores. (Game challenge: VEX IQ 2022–2023 Slapshot)
THE JOURNEY: Getting into states and worlds
The competition encompasses two main levels: states, representing the state championship, and worlds, where teams from around the world compete against one another. Securing a place in these prestigious events is possible through the attainment of specific awards. Our team was fortunate to receive both the “Design” award and the “Amaze” award. The Design Award recognized our exceptional design notebook and team interview, while the Amaze Award acknowledged our outstanding performance as a two-person team. Additionally, our skills ranking granted us qualification for states. As the state competition approached, ensuring an adequate number of participating teams became crucial. In the event of an insufficient number of teams, selections are made based on skills rankings, favoring those with higher ranks. Fortunately, our team achieved a high enough rank to secure our place in the state competition. Although our initial performance at the states didn’t go as planned due to excessively sticky fields, which affected our driver skills and shooter’s performance, we adapted to the circumstances. Our driver skills score at the states was 96, significantly lower than our average of 150 during practice sessions at home. However, our autonomous score of 106 was higher, resulting in a skills total of 202 and securing us the 18th rank in the skills category. In teamwork matches, despite encountering some challenges, we managed to finish in 6th place. While we didn’t qualify through awards, our skills rank proved sufficient to secure our place in the prestigious world competition.
WORLDS: Preparation and Performance at Worlds
After qualifying for the world's competition, we dedicated our efforts to addressing key areas requiring improvement. Our primary focus included enhancing the consistency of our shooter, resolving issues with our bucket, and constructing a robust robot. We also invested significant time in practicing driving skills, aiming to overcome inconsistencies in our performance. Additionally, we experimented with PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control, initially showing promise but lacking the necessary consistency. As a result, we decided to revert to our original code with some modifications. During the world competition, we encountered difficulties with our initial autonomous runs due to the elevated field’s slight dip and unevenness. These factors disrupted our code and hampered its effectiveness, resulting in an auton score of 73. Although our driving score of 158 fell slightly short of our expectations, it was still considered respectable. Combining both scores, our total reached 231, positioning us in 127th place overall. In teamwork matches, we often found ourselves paired with lower-ranked and less capable teams, necessitating our handling of four out of the five dispensers. While initially challenging, we developed a working strategy over time. Ultimately, we achieved an overall rank of 10 out of the 80 teams in our division. Additionally, we were granted the opportunity for a second team interview, a privilege reserved for those qualifying for awards. Although we didn’t win any awards, the experience itself proved invaluable.
RECAP: Reflecting on the Season
In conclusion, this year’s robotics season has been an extraordinary experience for me. Throughout the journey, I gained knowledge in teamwork, the design process, engineering, programming, and the importance of testing and learning from failure. I learned to approach challenges and problems with optimism, actively seeking solutions and persevering through difficult situations. Moreover, the competition enabled me to form new friendships with students from all around the world, making this journey even more rewarding. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to participate again next year and during my highschool years!
