Opelika High School robotics team to compete in FIRST championship | Local News

“Every week we’re getting closer to it, and I’ve just been counting down the days honestly,” said team member Ishan Patel, a senior. “Since we knew were going to Houston, we’ve been counting down the days (like) ‘Let’s just go there already.’

“It’s my senior year, so it’s a nice cherry on the top just to experience what it all feels like.”

The team’s creation came courtesy of an eager Auburn University student and Howell, an engineering teacher at Opelika.

Matthew Zacune competed in FIRST competitions at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., then continued to participate by volunteering at events. Zacune was eager to start a FIRST team at a school around Auburn, and in September 2017 he reached out to Howell.

Howell — whose sons Logan and Cody participated in FIRST at Columbus High School in Columbus, Ga., — was initially reluctant about the idea.

“I knew enough about it not to give him a direct answer,” Howell said. “It truly is overwhelming.”

Zacune and some of his friends at Auburn volunteered to help Howell with Opelika’s BEST robotics team, which gave Howell pause about the decision. She told Zacune she would only create the expensive FIRST team if it received the rookie grant from NASA.

Once the application was approved, OGRE — aka Team 7072 — became a reality.

Howell understood the magnitude of the project she was taking on, but the commitment has been matched by the 14 team members competing in Houston.

The group has spent countless hours perfecting this year’s robot — named Farquaad after the “Shrek” character — in an effort to improve on the success they had with their first robot, Fiona.

“On the last day we got to build the robot, we were all here until like 1 a.m. working tirelessly,” senior Parker King said. “Roughly per week at median 12 hours a week after school, which for a high school that has all these other AP classes and projects due is a lot of time. I also have a job, so there was no free time.”

The efforts of King and the other team members weren’t wasted. Opelika won a competition in Georgia in October, then captured the Rocket City regional title in Huntsville in March, which punched its ticket to Texas.

The games in which OGRE competes give team members a chance to see all their hard work on Farquaad put on display. For the onlookers, it provides a spectacle that rivals even the most intense sports.

Each two-and-a-half minute game features six robots competing in three-on-three action. This year’s NASA theme means the robots will be tasked with filling up rocket ships and cargo ships in the arena with balls before fastening a hatch panel to keep the balls inside. Games are played to best two out of three.

“Me along with the rest of our teammates were just jumping for joy, quite literally,” King said about the win in Huntsville. “It’s really fun to watch. It’s like a sporting event. It’s entertaining.”

“You get there, and you just get so consumed by it. You start cheering and you’re yelling,” Howell said.

After being randomly assigned teammates in the qualification matches, the top teams will be chosen as alliance captains and will draft their two teams for the remaining days of competition. The games not only teach OGRE’s members to work well with each other, but to also do so with strangers who could be from different countries.

The exposure to new faces as well as a variety of robotic designs is part of the trip’s draw for team members. They will also get to see a showcase of new technology as well as interact with people within the science, technology, engineering and math industry.

“They’re not just the same; everyone comes up with a different robot,” Patel said. “(I’m most looking forward to) socializing and probably making contacts for future careers.”

The team has come a long way since its inception two years ago, and Howell is hopeful to be down on the field of the Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park on April 20.

As exciting as the competition is, Howell noted just how meaningful the trip will be for her students regardless of the outcome.

Of the 14 students going to Houston, only three have ever flown before, Howell said. She also pointed out the numerous interactions they’ll have over the four days there, some of which could be impactful to their post-high school plans.

Team 7072 is eager to become champions, but the students will walk away winners no matter what.

“It’s a thrilling opportunity. They will interact from schools all across the country and also from around the world,” Howell said. “They’ll have the opportunity to both interact with them on a social basis, but also as game partners,” Howell said. “It’s just going to be an awesome experience for them.”