Blue Phoenix Rises to take on High School Robotics Competition, Sprockets on Winning Alliance

  • Grove School eighth-graders Emma Knight, Conner Vorndran and Daniel Bowlan watch over and control their robot, Sapphira, during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. They are members of the new community robotics team called Blue Phoenix, which is housed at OBU and led by Lori Farris, a teacher at Grove. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Grove School eighth-graders Emma Knight, Conner Vorndran and Daniel Bowlan watch over and control their robot, Sapphira, during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. They are members of the new community robotics team called Blue Phoenix, which is housed at OBU and led by Lori Farris, a teacher at Grove. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Sprockets Robotics Team members Miles Buss and Zach Nowakowski watch over and work the controls of their robot, 'Tsunamic,' formerly 'The Trench,' during the playoffs. Sprockets was in the winning alliance and won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Sprockets Robotics Team members Miles Buss and Zach Nowakowski watch over and work the controls of their robot, 'Tsunamic,' formerly 'The Trench,' during the playoffs. Sprockets was in the winning alliance and won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Members of the Shawnee High School Robopack, Hunter Jones and Michael Buchanan work the controls to the 'USS Octobot' during the playoffs. They ended with a rank of 29 out of 48 teams, but they were chosen by the captain of Alliance 4 to be on their team for the playoffs and made it to Match 13 out of 14. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Members of the Shawnee High School Robopack, Hunter Jones and Michael Buchanan work the controls to the 'USS Octobot' during the playoffs. They ended with a rank of 29 out of 48 teams, but they were chosen by the captain of Alliance 4 to be on their team for the playoffs and made it to Match 13 out of 14. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Family and friends cheer for the Blue Phoenix Robotics Team during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. This is the first year for this Shawnee team, made up of eighth-grade students from Grove School, to compete at this level, and they made it to the 12th match of the playoffs, finishing 16th out of 48 teams from all over the country, as well as other countries. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Family and friends cheer for the Blue Phoenix Robotics Team during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. This is the first year for this Shawnee team, made up of eighth-grade students from Grove School, to compete at this level, and they made it to the 12th match of the playoffs, finishing 16th out of 48 teams from all over the country, as well as other countries. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Sapphira, the robot designed and built by the Blue Phoenix team from Shawnee, carries a ball to "the reef," where it would lift it into a high trough during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Sapphira, the robot designed and built by the Blue Phoenix team from Shawnee, carries a ball to "the reef," where it would lift it into a high trough during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Following a playoff match, the Blue Phoenix Robotics Team from Shawnee wheel their robot, Sapphira, back to their pit area during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. Eighth-graders from Grove School, they are, from left, Laura Farris, Daniel Bowlan, Conner Vorndran, Hudson McMains, Emma Knight and Jachin Dennis.
    Following a playoff match, the Blue Phoenix Robotics Team from Shawnee wheel their robot, Sapphira, back to their pit area during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition, held at FireLake Arena on April 5. Eighth-graders from Grove School, they are, from left, Laura Farris, Daniel Bowlan, Conner Vorndran, Hudson McMains, Emma Knight and Jachin Dennis.
  • Shawnee High School's Robopack pulls their robot, the "USS Octobot," to their pit area after a playoff match on April 5 during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition at FireLake Arena. Shown, from left, are Jun Gao, Gabe Tribble, Michael Buchanan and Casen Peters. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Shawnee High School's Robopack pulls their robot, the "USS Octobot," to their pit area after a playoff match on April 5 during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition at FireLake Arena. Shown, from left, are Jun Gao, Gabe Tribble, Michael Buchanan and Casen Peters. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • The Sprockets Robotics Team, from Gordon Cooper Technology Center, gets high-fives from the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition judges on April 5 at FireLake Arena. They were on the winning alliance and they earned the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    The Sprockets Robotics Team, from Gordon Cooper Technology Center, gets high-fives from the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition judges on April 5 at FireLake Arena. They were on the winning alliance and they earned the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
  • Gordon Cooper Technology Center's Sprockets Robotics Team escorts their robot, formerly "The Trench," but renamed "Tsunamic," to the pit area during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition on April 5 at FireLake Arena. Sprockets made it through the two rounds of Finals and were on the winning alliance. They also won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun
    Gordon Cooper Technology Center's Sprockets Robotics Team escorts their robot, formerly "The Trench," but renamed "Tsunamic," to the pit area during the Oklahoma Regionals FIRST Robotics Competition on April 5 at FireLake Arena. Sprockets made it through the two rounds of Finals and were on the winning alliance. They also won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. Natasha Dunagan, Countywide & Sun

    Forty-eight teams competed in the Oklahoma Regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, which was held at Fire-Lake Arena, April 2-5.

    Most of those teams (33) were from Oklahoma. Others traveled from Colorado, Missouri and Arkansas. One made the trip from Durango, Mexico, and one came all the way from Chinese Taipei.

    Three of them were from Shawnee…