Robotics Returns Victorious from Worlds
The Barstow robotics team, Team 1939 The Kuhnights, competed at the FIRST Robotics world championship tournament, in Houston, Tex. Wednesday, April 29–Saturday, May 1.
The Kuhknights made it through two rounds of playoffs and earned the Imagery Award, the first world championship-level award in the team’s history. They competed alongside roughly 600 teams across eight divisions, each including around 70-80 teams. They earned the Imagery Award based on visual aesthetic, design and integration of machine and team appearance, making them the team with the most Imagery Awards in the world.
The competition began with load-in on Wednesday, followed by qualifying matches and judging sessions Thursday and Friday. Team 1939 posted an 8-2 record in qualifying matches and secured a position as an alliance captain, another first for the team at the world championship level. On Saturday morning, the team made its alliance selections after extensive planning. The alliance, including teams from Mexico, Michigan and Pennsylvania, advanced through two playoff matches.
Barstow’s robotics program meets regularly on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year and competes in FIRST Robotics competitions at the regional level and beyond. Both middle school and upper school robotics programs are open to all students, regardless of experience level.
