BEAST had an exciting weekend at the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee. The team started off strong, easily passing inspection and having great practice runs on Friday. The first qualifying matches on Saturday morning went well, running without issue. But as the day continued, we encountered some malfunctions. After those matches, we raced back to the pit to troubleshoot, and we found solutions quickly. Although it wasn’t the smooth performance we had hoped for, the challenges presented opportunities for us to maintain our focus, communicate clearly, and problem solve under a time crunch. It was also a good reminder to always use Lock Tight to keep screws from getting knocked loose during a competition! By Sunday morning, we had solved our technical issues and won all of our qualifying matches. Although this wasn’t enough to bring home any hardware, we certainly enjoyed competing!
The Wisconsin Regional gave our scouting team an opportunity to really shine. We had a total of 36 student scouts who provided information on all 90 matches at the Regional. Thanks to this scouting information, we were able to produce real time data for the Drive Team, so they could decide between different strategies for each match. Many of the teams at the Wisconsin Regional will also participate in the Seven Rivers Regional, so we will use some of this scouting data during early matches.
The team was proud to earn two prestigious awards at the Wisconsin Regional. The team won the Team Sustainability Award, and Noah Ren was named a Dean’s List Finalist!
Team Sustainability Award
The Team Sustainability Award, sponsored by Dow, is presented to the team that has developed environmentally sustainable practices and long-term continuity. We are grateful to be recognized for our dedication to the Elmbrook community and for our efforts to increase awareness about carbon footprints. We are proud to have won this award two years in a row.
Dean’s List Award
The Dean’s List Award is given to a student leader who exemplifies the mission of FIRST and has increased community awareness for FIRST. We look forward to cheering Noah on as he advances to the World Championship this year!
Seven Rivers Regional
We’re looking forward to the Seven Rivers Regional in La Crosse April 3-6. It will be a great opportunity for us to implement everything we learned at the Wisconsin Regional and let Elvis shine! If you aren’t able to attend the event, you can watch from home:
Grand Opening Success!
Thank you to everyone who attended the Grand Opening for our new Robotics & Automation space this past Tuesday! We were thrilled to show off our space to families, school board members, sponsors, and local elected officials. Thanks to all the parents who donated food and refreshments to help make the event successful! Finally, thank you to the Elmbrook Education Foundation (EEF), which is raising money to develop the new space so it can be fully utilized. The EEF’s $100,000 commitment will support the purchase of new technology, robotics and automation tools, storage, and design/build furniture for the Robotics & Automation space. If you want to support EEF’s effort, you can donate at https://Robotics23.givesmart.com. EEF is a 501(c)(3) tax deductible organization, so your donations may be eligible for your employer match!