Team members in the photo above (all Camas except noted): Andrew Whitaker (Bethany, OR), Jordan Hendricks, Jordan Slotto, Maggie Wells, Tate Perry, Gabe Mukobi, Owen Wilks. The team coach/mentor was Jeff Hendricks and mentors included Steve Slotto, Ken Perry, Doug Wells, Rick Wilks (not pictured). The team was sponsored by Broker Knowledge Group of Camas.
The Camas Mechanakidz were selected among 20 teams at last weekend’s ORTOP First Lego League qualifying robotics tournament in Salmon Creek, earning them a spot in the upcoming state tournament January 14 and 15 in Hillsboro. The Portland region is the largest in the country with approximately 400 teams. Eighty teams were selected to compete at the upcoming state competition.
Mechanickidz was the only team to earn two awards: 1st place in the Robotics Performance and 3rd runner up in the overall competition. Teams were judged in four key areas: Robot Performance, Core Values, Team Presentation, and Robot Design.
These avid robot lovers worked tirelessly since the end of summer, meeting regularly for 4- 8 hours per week at Coach Jeff Hendricks’ home. They used their time understanding the requirements for the robot missions, strategizing robot development, hardware and software development, and fine tuning the one-of-a-kind creation. The goal was to have the robot complete as many successful missions in the robot “food factor” challenge. The coach and mentors helped guide the team in each of the four areas of development and prepare for the competition.
The project consisted of a skit demonstrating an innovative prototype to keep bacteria from forming on take n’ bake pizzas which was presented to a judging panel. An element of the Core Values scoring was to observe teamwork and problem-solving skills for a problem with which the team was presented. Overall, the team grew in areas that most kids will not experience until high school or college, performed very well at the competition, and had an amazing experience.