System Overload, a VEX robotics team coordinated by The Dalles High School and Wasco County 4-H, recently returned from one of the largest robotics competitions across the globe — the VEX Robotics World Championship, held in Dallas, Texas, the first weekend in May.
The team brought home a first-place award for their division.
“Our team did far better than we expected at the World Championships — we never imagined that we would ever make it to the Vex Dome for the world Final Eliminations, especially as a sophomore team,” said Colin Schecter, System Overload team member and a sophomore at the statewide online public school Willamette Connections Academy. His teammates, Ian Castaneda, and Jack McAllister, attend The Dalles High School.
An estimated 800 teams participated in the world championships over the course of three days; teams are split into 10 divisions, with qualifying matches and elimination rounds. The final 32 teams formed 16 alliances, and System Overload ranked fourth going into the quarter finals, winning the Opportunity Division.
System Overload achieved the first Division title for an Oregon team during the VEX World Championships in Dallas in May.
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Unfortunately, they lost their quarterfinal match to the alliance team that ended up becoming World Champions.
“The VEX World Championships was one of the best experiences of my life and it was amazing to be able to compete with teams from all around the world,” said Schecter. “We got to alliance with a team from Great Britain and a team from Paraguay. Our team was able to meet and talk to teams from all over the nation and world.
“Our team is part of multiple international VEX robotics alliances on Discord, where we can talk to, help, and strategize with other teams,” he said. “It was great to be able to meet teams that I was friends with and communicated with through Discord but never been able to see in person.”
Schecter, Castaneda and McAllister have been working together since middle school and were thrilled to have such a successful year competing and especially excited to take their robot “Bolt” all the way to the final elimination rounds in the Vex Dome, said Dawn Phillips of Willamette Connections Academy (WillCA).
Colin Schecter with the team’s robot.
Contributed photo
“OSU has some of the best robotics and STEM courses and activities in the state and they fund the 4-H which in turn funds our robotics teams,” said Schecter. The team is coordinated by OSU Extension STEM Outreach Program Coordinator Lu Seapy and The Dalles High School Coach Chuck Webber.
Said Seapy, “The program would like to thank the following sponsors who helped make the VEX World Competition travel possible: Google, OSU Extension–Wasco County 4-H, Sandoz Farms, Bob Seapy Farms, and Dennis Stocks. A special thank you to Marc and Meghan McAllister for serving as chaperons for the team and assisting with vital team support services.”
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