Robots and students from across Ontario are battling it out at Georgian College this weekend.
The college is hosting the fourth annual First Robotics competition, in collaboration with First Robotics Canada. The event includes 900 team supporters, 100 volunteers and 29 teams of high school students, including six from Simcoe County, Grey County and Muskoka, who are competing using robots they designed, built, programmed and tested.
“I’m more of the ‘business’ part of the team,” Ella Hayward said with a laugh. “But I do some building, too. I started in robotics six years ago in an all-girl team. Now I’m more advanced in that field. I joined this team and I kind of just fell in love with it.”
Hayward is a member of the local team that calls themselves the Javawockies; they are one of the few teams in the competition not from one specific school, but instead from different schools under the umbrella of the Junior Optimist International Club based in Springwater Township.
They have participated in the competition since 2017, and boast members from Barrie, Collingwood, Stayner and New Lowell.
“We’re a community team, from all over Simcoe County,” said Hayward, who attends Jean Vanier Catholic School in Collingwood.
Members of the team find this gives them a distinct advantage, as they have students from public, Catholic and private schools, as well as some members who are home schooled.
“Every school has different things they’re good at,” said Hayward. “My school is good with computer programming. Stayner has really good shop classes. So we take classes that interest us at school and then bring those (skills) into robotics.”
“With the home-schooled students, it gives those kids a chance to do extra curriculars. Students can also come in at any time during the day. The time fluctuation provides more opportunity,” she said.
Hayward said the teams all are given a video in January outlining the rules, and have eight to nine weeks to build a robot to compete in the challenges.
However, she says it’s a year-long preparation process.
“In the summer we go to outreach events and talk to sponsors. In the fall there’s non-competitive events, for fun. We have training for safety through the summer too,” she said.
Hayward said she’s been on the team for all four years it's run, since she was 12 years old, but some members have joined up along the way.
“I like strategy. I used to be very shy but now I’m a social person. I’ve developed that. Strategy is my thing,” said Hayward.
First Robotics Canada, which was started in 2002, has more than 1,000 teams in Canada and now reaches in excess of 20,000 Canadian students.
The competition is continuing on Sunday at Georgian College at the Fitness Centre with elimination matches from 1-4 p.m., followed by the presentation of awards and the closing ceremonies from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
