HIGHTSTOWN: HHS robotics students set to be ‘gracious pros’

By Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
    It’s 5 feet tall, more than a 100 pounds and requires two people to fully control it.
    It has four wheels, throws small balls, and was completely designed and built in just six weeks.
    On Thursday, it entered the Sovereign Bank Arena to compete in the game it was created to play.
    It’s Apollo II, the latest creation of the Hightstown High School robotics team. The team and its machine will be playing in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) New Jersey Regional Competition at the Trenton arena today and Saturday.
    FIRST is an organization that began in 1989 with the goal of getting students interested in science and technology. It started holding competitive games in 1992.
    Hightstown High School formed a team in 2002, and this year will participate in competitions in Philadelphia and a national tournament in Atlanta, as well as the competition in Trenton this weekend. The Hightstown team is sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb; Machine Medic, of Trenton; and SPECO Tile & Marble, of Hightstown.
    Every year FIRST designs a new game for which the teams design a robot. Participating teams are sent a kit filled with parts from which they must design a unique machine. They may also add parts that they purchase on their own.
    The catch — they have only six weeks to completely design and build their machine before their first competition.
    “During the build season, we are pretty much there every day after school till about 9 p.m.,” Chris Gregory said.
    Mr. Gregory has been teaching math and computer science in the district for nine years, and runs the robotics team. He said there are about 45 active members on the team, and they also get help from parents and even alumni who want to stay involved.
    “During those six weeks we work very, very hard,” he said. “It is basically an entire sports season compressed into that short time.”
    Several members of the team said they feel the pressure to finish the machine as they get toward the deadline, but it is still more fun than anything else.
    “It’s very social, and still serious. We have a deadline that we have to get things done by and a tight budget,” Jeff Kovic, 17 said. “In the last couple weeks it can get stressful, but it is also exciting.”
    Ashley Mills, 15, joined the team in her freshman year and is continuing to participate in her sophomore year.
    “It is satisfying for sure,” she said. “And then you look at this thing a think, ‘Wow, I just spent six weeks on this thing and it looks great.’”
    This year’s game is called Lunacy, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
    “Lunacy can best be described as a combination of ice hockey, basketball and bumper cars,” Mr. Gregory said. “Every robot will have a trailer, and the object will be to pick up orbit balls and stick them in the other robot’s trailers.”
    This will all be done on a slick surface, adding an extra degree of difficulty for the students who direct the robots’ actions with a remote control.
    “You may see robots slamming into the wall,” Mr. Gregory said. “It has the potential to be very entertaining to watch.”
    While the matches are competitive, the team members say that they also have a spirit of cooperation among the various teams.
    “Even though it is competitive we still respect each other and we are glad that everyone else’s robot is well and working,” Jeff said. “If someone’s robot breaks down, you will see people from all different teams lending a hand.”
    Mr. Gregory said that idea of respectful competition is something that they purposely try to instill in the team.
    “We tell them to act as if your grandma is watching you,” Mr. Gregory said.
    Mr. Gregory said participating in robotics teaches kids “gracious professionalism,” and how to work in a team. Many of those involved in the team do not have a direct role in designing or building the robot, but perform other necessary tasks such as raising funds and promoting the team.
    “They learn to be part of a multifaceted team,” Mr. Gregory said. “How to lead and how to teach each other.”
    For more information on FIRST and other competitions in the area, visit www.usfirst.org.