Stillwater Area High School Brings Home Minnesota's Inaugural State Robotics Championship

The alliance between Stillwater, Park and Prior Lake high schools won the state’s inaugural robotics championship this weekend at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

Once the alliance was formed, the Stillwater-Park-Prior Lake team didn’t lose a match.

In a best two-out-of-three championship final, the Stillwater-Park-Prior Lake alliance of robots and student handlers defeated the alliance of Bloomington Kennedy, Anoka and RiverBend Academy/Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial.

The scores of the matches were 55-40 and 73-27.

The competition is sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Minnesota.

Twenty-eight teams began the competition that led to the final four earning the opportunity to choose alliance partners for the semifinals and championship.

Minnesota has the third largest FIRST Robotics Competition state contingent in the nation with 153 teams—and the most teams per capita of any state in the nation.

This year, Rebound RumbleSM was the name of the game.

The game involves two competing alliances of three teams attempting to score as many baskets as possible in a two minute and 15 second match using their remote-controlled robots they designed and built.

The game was played on a level, enclosed area 27-by-54 foot in dimension. The matches begin with a 15-second hybrid period in which the robots operate independently of drivers. Baskets scored during this period are worth extra points. The baskets are placed at different heights and the higher the hoop, the higher the score.

The matches conclude with student drivers attempting to balance their robots on pivoting bridges at the center of the competition area.