Big week for NHS robotics team in Dallas

DALLAS — It was a big week for the Norwalk High School robotics team, competing in the Worlds in Dallas. Here is a recap from coach Nate Whaley: "We had a wonderful experience and had great success in Dallas this week. After arriving Tuesday, the students got right to work tuning their robot for the new conditions along with familiarizing themselves with the atmosphere. That evening we had front-row seats to the opening ceremonies where we saw a robotics team, the Jugglenauts from Perdue, Ind., perform their juggling routine. At the ceremonies, they revealed that there were 800 teams from 40 countries competing in the high school competition. "Day 1 of the competition on Wednesday was a roller-coaster of emotions. Starting the day with 3 straight wins catapulted us to the #3 rank in the division, then we suffered 2 agonizing defeats, only to rebound by ending the day with 2 huge wins. "Day 2 was wild. We lost the first match, won the second match, and tied the third match. This last match was pivotal in setting the table for a tournament selection and it came down to centimeters. In a very tight match, driver Grayson Kiser made the last-second decision to shoot the robot's string launchers, a risky decision knowing the alignment was not right and could easily result in a disqualification if it left the playing field. Well, it landed on the field element that came very close to touching the outside of the field. This decision resulted in the tie. We finished the qualification rounds with a program best 6-3-1 in 18th position. "The success of not only Grayson our driver, but the consistent programming by Tyler Esbenshade made notice of many teams. Adding on the management and personal connections that Thomas Chime worked for 2 days paid off. We partnered with team 37334A-Lincoln County Robotics from Fayetteville, Tenn., for the divisional tournament. We lost in the opening round to the alliance that made it to the divisional finals, which consisted of another Ohio team from Brecksville-Broadview Heights. "The success would not have been achieved without the immense help of the support crew consistently running back and forth to the pit, which was a quarter mile away, made of Hailee Smith, Hudson Barnes and Isaak White. "With the success on the field, we are very proud as how the students represented themselves. They talked or strategized with not only other U.S. teams, but went out of their way to make the acquaintance of teams from Paraguay, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Turkey and China. Some of them using the translate apps on their phones to accomplish this communication. "We had a great experience. We are excited to hear the experiences of the middle school team when they arrive on Sunday. "Thank you to all our great sponsors that made this trip and this season happen. NASA Armstrong Test Facility, VFW, Firelands FCU, Vacationland FCU, Underground Utilities, NHS Academic Boosters, NCI, and RKS just to mention a few."