Laguna Robotics Team Reaches Quarterfinals in State Competition

The team qualified for the competition through their impressive performance in a Skills Challenge, which utilizes the same scoring metric as the competition, but each team competes against the clock to score the most points possible.

Much preparation and perseverance culminated in the team's impressive performance in Bakersfield. Team Faculty Leader John Pagano says, "The team started our first competition ending #42 out of 44, but they took that rank to heart and focused on what they could do better. They improved their ranking for the next few competitions, and that performance is ultimately what helped them to do so well in the Skills Challenge. Their sportsmanship, their attitudes, and their respect for all the teams was a shining moment for the team. Even when two matches ended in high drama needing the tournament judge to make a final decision, the Laguna Team stayed calm and polite while the other teams yelled and carried on."

At the state level, they competed in a challenge called Tower Takeover, in which robots are challenged to make the tallest stack of large plastic blocks and place the stack in their goal area. After competing seven times in the qualifying rounds, the team moved on to the elimination rounds, where they made it through the first few matches to the Quarterfinals.

Beyond the scores, the teamwork and camaraderie cultivated in this group of talented students has left a lasting mark on its members. Lucy Cao '20 reflects, "I learned a lot from being part of the robotics team. Robotics offers a hands-on experience that I don't really get from anywhere else, and I also like the creative problem-solving aspect of building robots. We've really come together as a team, and I'm very grateful for my dedicated and talented teammates."

So what's next for the Robotics Team? The group will be taking a much deserved break from Basilisk The Robot for the next few weeks. They will then look forward to preparations for next season in hopes of building on the team's already stellar legacy.

Interested in joining the Laguna Robotics Team? Reach out to John Pagano at jpagano@lagunablanca.org with any questions.