Flying Tigers robotics team heads to Myrtle Beach | News

The Hemingway High School Flying Tigers will be showing their engineering skills this weekend as they compete in the FIRST Robotics competition. This isn’t their first competition. The Flying Tigers have been competing since 2016 and against teams from across the globe, some of which can be sponsored by NASA and universities and backed by multimillion-dollar budgets. 

That doesn’t bother the Flying Tigers. In their second year they finished sixth overall, beating one team that carried a $5 million budget. And it’s not a bunch of kids competing in a high school gym. They will join 66 teams who will work in a confined 10×10 space. Their robot weighs 125 pounds and is supported by wheels and pneumatics or air cylinders that have the ability to raise specific sections of the frame to clear obstacles and platforms that may be part of the course. 

Wade Nettles, Project Lead the Way Engineering teacher is the team’s lead mentor. He explains, in the beginning of January, FIRST Robotics Competition releases the theme in a game reveal. “You find out what the game is and the clock starts,” said Nettles. “You have 45 days to construct a robot with certain constraints, to win.” This year it is Destination: Deep Space and the regional games will be held in Myrtle Beach from February 28 to March 2. 

The students in grades ninth through 12th are made up of captains, navigators, logistics, builders, programmers, and even a person who makes certain no rules are broken. The robot has to perform tasks on a platform simulating Mars terrain, all while being sent information from the driver. “Initially the game starts, our driver can’t see,” said Nettles. “We have to rely on autonomous programing or cameras on the robot.” After the initial phase, a screen comes up and the driver gets to work.” Besides the driver, a drive team consisting of a pilot, navigator and three additional support staff will be on the game field. 

There’s also a group who cover the logistics. Nettles said teams play on the theme of alliances. There are three teams per alliance so the top eight teams have to pick two teams that didn’t qualify for the finals to be on their alliance to compete with them. “We have kids that do nothing but logistics,” said Nettles. “They go around and rate the other robots’ strengths, weaknesses, so when we make it to the finals it’s easier for us to choose who we invite to be on our alliance.” 

The engineering department touts ninth graders who can run AutoCAD and eighth graders who can do 3-D modeling and use 3-D printers. “We make a good deal of our own parts,” said Nettles referring to the four 3-D printers in his class. Instead of ordering parts such as hubs for the robot’s wheels they can actually design and manufacture the parts. “It’s nice. 

If we need something we can make it instead of having to wait on it.” 

Pit crewmember, Ethan Brown, will make his first trip this year. “This whole experience has been great,” said Brown. Freshman Angela Marin is a builder. “I’ve always wanted to be involved in robotics in school but I never thought that I would actually try it,” said Marin whose family members work in the field of mechanics. “Now I’m thinking about doing something in engineering when I graduate.” Another freshman team member Christian Lawrence plans to be a computer engineer. “This is important because we work as a team,” said Lawrence who is part of the build team responsible for transforming the robot from a bunch of metal to the finished machine. “I hope this will help me get a job at NASA.”

The creation of the robotics team is the brainchild of Torrance Wilson, Williamsburg County School District Career and Technology Education (CATE) Director. “This was one of the programs we implemented to help our children to be more creative and use more problem solving skills,” said Wilson who convinced Nettles to leave his position as a physics teacher to lead Career and Technology and the Lead the Way program. “One of the culminating activities that we wanted to do was to participate in robotics.” Since then the class has had numerous students to participate. “I love the camaraderie. I love the way that the children work to make their robot work and perform the tasks that it needs to perform.” 

If the Flying Tigers win the regional they will travel to Houston for the finals. “We came so close year before last,” said Nettles. “But you know, that was unheard of. A team’s second year finishing in the top eight and going to finals, it was really cool.” 

Nettles said though Hemingway High School is a small school in a rural community, big things can be accomplished. “Everywhere in the nation knows who team 6222 is,” Nettles said referring to the team’s number in the competition. The team hosted fundraisers and is accepting donations to assist with travel costs. “We’re lucky to have what we have,” said Nettles. “We have a lot of support in the community.”