Carson High robotics team prepares for regional conference

CARSON CITY — Two months ago, the Carson High School Robotics Team “Team Captain” went head-to-head at Western Nevada College with local high school robotic teams.

Now, the team is taking home three awards after competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge Nevada State Championship Tournament Feb. 3-4, at the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas.

This two-day event showcases the best robots developed and operated by teams of high school students from across Nevada.

“I am proud that the team is representing Carson High School and Nevada at the Super Regional competition,” said team coach Michelle Bowler. “They have been working very hard and have a busy month ahead of them.”

The team claimed the Winning Alliance award, which qualified it to compete against 72 teams from 11 western states at the FTC West Super Regional in Tacoma, Wash., March 10-12.

Team Captain also won the Connect Award for connecting with the community, and the Control Award for using sensors and software to enhance the robot’s functionality on the field. FTC is one of four programs offered by the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) program, a non-profit public organization that provides programs and competitions designed to motivate young people to pursue education and careers in STEM-related fields.

In competitions earlier this season, they won the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award for creativity and the Judges Award.

For the last six months, the team has been building and coding their robot tasked with carrying out specific tasks inside the battle field.

Their next goal is to advance at the Super Regionals to the 2017 FIRST World Championships in Houston, April 19-22.

The team is led by captain Allan Huntington, who has been on the team for four years. Team Captain is also made possible by Henry Sturm, Nicholas Bowler, Nanami Duncan, Zachary Frewert, Stuart McEhleny, Luke Bowler, Rylan Fancher, Adelynn Puett, and Casanova Segura.

Bowler and Scot Duncan, also a CHS parent, are coaching the team.

For inquiries about fundraising for the regional championship trip, contact Bowler at 775-230-4748.