CL - NB shared technology program #1 in safety

FIRST Robotics Team 3038, from North Branch and Chisago Lakes, competed in the 10,000 Lakes Regional at Williams Arena over the weekend. After passing inspection, meeting with the judges, and participating in practice rounds on Thursday, the competition began on Friday with the robot taking part in seven competition rounds. Competition rounds continued on Saturday morning with two additional rounds. With an outside chance of being drafted into the finals, the team was hopeful but didn't get selected. Mentor Scott Frischmon said "This is the most mechanically sound robot with have built. Unfortunately, there were communication problems at times between the computer, the field of play, and the robot so there were times when our robot would not respond during competition. In the end, this hurt us in the standings but our robot performed as we had hoped." Team 3038, also known as ICE (Interdistrict Computers and Engineering), was selected as the #1 Pit for Safety and received the Industrial Safety Award during the competition. According to team leader Becky Leuer, "The safety award involves a number of items including always wearing safety glasses, posting safety rules, use of a first aid kit, keeping the pit area clean, and meeting with the safety judges. Our Safety Captain, Brandon Heidelberger, did a great job as did the rest of the team. This is the first time we have won this award and are excited to be recognized." The robot will now be used for demonstrations at North Branch and Chisago Lakes. Anyone who would like to see the robot in action should contact Scott Frischmon or Becky Leuer at North Branch. For more photos of the competition, visit us on Facebook at Team 3038.