Robotics Competes in North Dakota

By Anna Jaeschke '22
March 11, 2020

On February 26, the CDH robotics team traveled to Grand Forks, ND, to compete in the Great Northern Regional. More than 60 teams gathered at the Alerus Center for the first competition of the year, all competing for a chance at Nationals. The CDH robot won 7 out of 9 matches and qualified for the final round, placing 6th overall. In addition, we made it to the semifinals, our best showing ever!

Programing, engineering, and problem-solving are all important aspects of robotics. In addition, our business team played a large role this year with rebranding our team, "Wind Chill." This was done to stand out from other teams, along with better representing Minnesota as a whole. This gave our team the chance to create new logos and have more experience with the advertising side of robotics. Our business head, Seamus Dougherty '22, led this whole operation, from choosing fonts for the sweatshirts to logo design. In the end, the effort proved to be greatly appreciated.

At the Great Northern Regional, our robot was tested in a high stakes situation, after a six week long work period. Captains Thomas Cunningham ‘20 and Christian Strommen ‘20 aided in many decisions, mainly what we wished our robot to accomplish. In addition to that, they were an inspiration to the rest of the team with the commitment they showed and how they handled problems. They however are not alone. The Robotics team is also lucky to have mentors and coaches who specialize in the core aspects of robotics. Many of them are Cretin-Derham Hall alumni, choosing to spend their time helping us construct and code the robot.

At the competition, the numerous teams all head their own “pits” or spaces to work on the robot if problems were to arise. These pits were decorated on theme with the team's name. However, the most exciting aspect is the games themselves. Robots rushing around the field, scoring points and crash into each other. All this combining into an amazing experience. Next year’s season will start in fall. Students interested in joining should contact themontelibanos@gmail.com.