For community
CHS robotics brings ‘heart’ to the equation
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Pictured are the Clinton High School RoboDragons in between sessions at the Smoky Mountain Regional Competition. Pictured are Leo Muhuamma, Lily Hill, Aaron Bull- ock, Sara Boundy, Antares Hansen, Lydra Byerly, Aiden Davis, Jordan Jones, Eneri Davis, Demetrei Morabito, Dakota Totherow and Nate Deuble. - Ben Pounds
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Pictured is RoboDragon Damien Eitel, enjoying a snack in between matches. - Ben Pounds
For the RoboDragons, it’s about community.
The RoboDragons are a “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)” robotics team from Clinton High School.
They competed Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, at the Knoxville Coliseum in the Smoky Mountain Regional Competition.
During a break in the competition, two team members, Aiden Davis and Dakota Totherow, gave their thoughts on what it’s like to be a RoboDragon.
“The system of our relationships is very family-like,” Totherow said.
Davis agreed.
“A lot of people consider our robotics program a home away from home,” he said. “Even if you don’t know how to do something, our team will teach you how.”
Totherow said the team helped people “flourish” in the areas in which they were best.
The event involves the teams’ robots teaming up against each other in different combinations.
They involved moving cones and cubes and balancing on a platform with other robots. Davis said even the people on opposing teams were “friends.”
“We support anyone if they need it,” he said.
The RoboDragons placed 30th in the competition, winning two matches and losing eight, an official website for the event stated.
Totherow said the group’s season began in January, giving them three months or less to build their robot.
“It’s really intense, but it’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said.