Two teams from the robotics club attended their first competition of the season at Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas, on Oct. 30. They competed against 55 other teams from across Texas for qualifiers.

Both teams experienced more than a few hiccups throughout the day, but they managed to persevere through.

“[It was] not what we were wanting but better than expected,” robotics club sponsor Mark Ahrens said. “Their build quality is coming along nicely. Right now, their best quality is adapting to the challenges of their first competition. Most people want to look at the physical product but forget the mental part, which is growth.” 

Although perhaps not too well known, the robotics club has been a part of Texas High since 2009.

“I do robotics because to me, it’s really fun,” senior Christian Cole said. “It’s this escape from the world to me. This [next] competition, I’m hoping to get into the semifinals instead of just making it into almost qualifications.”

The robotics club plans to attend two more competitions this semester, plus a competition that they will be hosting at Texas High in the spring. 

They may have a long way to go in these next couple weeks, but Ahrens is confident that they can make it happen.

“They’ve been really good at observing and asking how other teams approached the challenge,” Ahrens said. “In my opinion, that’s more important than anything else.”