For the past few months, Creighton Prep’s Robotics team has been practicing hard for their competitions. The Robotics Club is currently in the First Tech Competition, which began in the fall, where they have moved on from their league to competing in the super qualifiers. After the First Tech Competition finishes, the team will be competing in the First Robotics Competition in the spring. 

The First Tech Competition uses smaller robots in their competitions, 18x18x18 inches maximum. The main challenge the teams have to complete for the First Tech Challenge is stacking large Lego-like blocks on top of each other. Teams, consisting of schools from junior high to high school, earn points for the challenges they complete, which is what determines how the teams win these competitions. Mr. Rich Mansfield, the moderator for the club, has high hopes for the upcoming competitions.

“I feel like they are going to do pretty good,” Mansfield said. “If they can pass that then we compete in Iowa, and if they do well in that we go to the world championship.”

When the team is done with the First Tech Competition, they will move onto the First Robotics Competition [FRC]. This competition uses larger robots than the First Tech Competition. 

“Our robot last year weighed 120 pounds and was about 3.5 feet tall.” Mansfield said.

The goal for this competition is for the robot to shoot balls into targets. There are also smaller challenges to do to earn more points. There is also a short period where the teams have to program the robot, and not use it, which earns the teams a large amount of points.

“In the FRC we are doing two competitions, one in Kansas City, one in Cedar Falls,” Mansfield said. “Last year we got 8th in a competition, this year I’m hoping we get to the world’s, because if we have that much more practice and time, and the guys are super motivated and into it. Then we get to go all the way to lovely Detroit, Michigan.” 

The team has also been preparing for the upcoming competition. 

“People start working after school until about 5:00 most days,” Mansfield said. “Then weekends, they’ll be here Saturday 10:00 to 5:00, Sunday probably noon to 6:00. We do that until February 28th.”