Bensalem High School’s Robotics Team, The Fightin’ Robotic Owls, competed at the FIRST Robotics Mid-Atlantic District Championship at Lehigh University where they finished 5th out of 128 teams and qualified for the FIRST Robotics World Championships in Detroit, Michigan.
Says sophomore and Drive Team Member Daniel Pasquella, “Being picked by 225 (Tech Fire), and having 747 (Flight Crew) on our alliance was one of the best experiences I’ve had. Both teams were incredible and just amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better alliance to win the championship with!”
The Owls, who were ranked 41st in the Mid-Atlantic Region, were excited to qualify for District Championships at Lehigh University but knew they would be facing some fierce competition, going up against some of the top teams in the region. After their first few matches, they were in 5th place, but quickly dropped to 29th place due technical problems with their robot, “There was some electrical problems with the robot shorting out on the field,” says Maxwell Parmalchuck, Fabrication Lead, “But we fixed the problem and performed solidly for the rest of our matches, becoming one of the top 3 scorers at the event.”
While the Owls qualified for World Championships, there’s no guarantee they will be able to go. Between registration fees and travel costs, this will cost the team upwards of $20,000. Says senior and Program Manager Katherine Matveykina “District Championships has been unlike any other competition and has made me so much prouder of what we have done as a team and what I have done for it. I am excited that we’ve qualified for World Championships for the third time in team history because it’s a great opportunity to show off our team, our school and our robot to the world.”
If you would like to help contribute towards the teams travel funds, you can make a donation online at www.team5401.org/donate. For more information about the team, please visit their web-site at www.team5401.org.