Lower and middle division robotics teams excel at weekend tourney hosted by Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s VEX IQ robotics team, 3333B, a.k.a. “The Engineers who say Ni,” earned a third-place world ranking after Saturday’s competition.
According to one of Notre Dame’s VEX IQ Bumble Bees parent mentors, teams from as far away as Toronto came to NDPMA to compete in the event, which was threatened by adverse weather conditions.
“The weatherman was predicting a snow storm follow by freezing rain, but that didn't stop us,” said Jerry Palardy said. “It was a big day for robotics at NDPMA, with all three divisions competing at home.” Notre Dame’s Killer Bees, the school’s high school robotics team, also hosted a competition during the weekend.
The Bumble Bees were very proud to show off their robotics creations in more than 100 qualifying matches, programming skills and driving skills competitions even before the final events took place.
“Teams also created their own STEM Project and Design notebooks,” said Palardy, which are then presented to a panel of judges from local engineering companies.
To prepare for the finals on Saturday, Vex IQ teams were paired up as 'alliance partners' based on their ranking in the qualification matches. Heading into the finals, it looked like it would be a showdown between the #1 Alliance consisting of Bumle Bees teams 3333B "The Engineers who say Ni,” and 3333Q "Squadra,” and the #2 Alliance consisting of the 3333Y "Yellow Jackets" and 1140Z "Discobots from Canada.
However, the #6 Alliance, which consisted of Bumble Bees teams 3333J "Code Crushers" and 3333V "The Vipers, surprised everyone and pulled off an epic upset.
Third best team in the world
Bumble Bees team 3333B, “The Engineers who say Ni,” earned a high placement in the world rankings after Saturday’s competition. Their robot, which is called "I am Arthur, King of the Britons,” were on a quest from the very beginning for the Holy Grail of all autonomous and driving skills routines.
“Their combined score of 128 points earned them a third-place ranking in the world,’ Palardy said. “And just two points out of first place! Getting into the top ten halfway through a season is an amazing feat. That puts them ahead of 2185 teams worldwide that have entered the skills competition so far this year.”
Among the awards collected on Saturday at the VEX IQ Challenge at Notre Dame:
Excellence Award Middle School: 3333B "The Engineers who say Ni"
Excellence Award Elementary: 3333T "The Terminators"
Teamwork Champion: 3333J "Code Crushers"
Teamwork Champion: 3333V "The Vipers"
Design Award: 3333J: "Code Crushers"
STEM Research Project Award: 3333X "The X-Factor"
Robot Skill Champion Award: 3333B: "The Engineers who say Ni"
Judges Award: 3333Y "Yellow Jackets"
In addition, teams 3333J, 3333V, and 3333X each earned their spot in the upcoming Michigan State Championship. Notre Dame now has six teams that have qualified for “states” (including 3333T, 3333B, and 3333P), with eight other teams working hard and hoping to earn their spot.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.