North District Robotics Championship Tournament at King's Schools

The competitions were timed

How to tell volunteers from robots

    Sunday, December 16, 2012, 28 junior and high school robotics teams from 17 schools in western Washington and Vancouver B.C. tested their robotics prowess in the FIRST Tech Challenge North District championship tournament. 

The championship will qualify eight local teams for the state tournament in January 2013.

Held in the King's Garden Gym at King’s Schools, 19303 Fremont Avenue North, King's School hosted the event and fielded three teams in the competition.

Some of the members of Kings High School’s robotic teams.
From left: Elijah Elliott, Jon Fuller, Quinn Martin, Chad Abramson,
Noah Elliott, Steven Lee, Jon Rasmussen, and Alex Kim.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Robots went head-to-head in the center ring during the competitions. Randomly assigned to a two-team alliance, the robots must place plastic rings on a three by three peg grid. Points are earned for each ring placed on a peg and in a center goal, with additional points available for the placement of weighted rings. 

Kings’ 4095 team in competition.  Noah Elliott the programmer on the left,
driver Jon Fuller in the middle, and driver Steven Lee on the right.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

At the end of each round, teams can also earn points by lifting the robot in their alliance off the ground.

Kings High School’s “ Driver Team”
puts their robot in the competition ring.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

The King's robotics teams have been creating, programming and fine-tuning their robots throughout the school year in preparation for the competition. The school offers robotics as part of the curriculum for students as early as kindergarten.

Kings’ robotic 3717 Team
From left, Devin Caplow-Munro, Zoe Anderson, and Danny Helms.
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Mikel Thompson is the King's robotics teacher and the one who organized the event

More information about King’s Schools here.