VIDEO: Richfield Robotics Team Competes in Regional Competition

Friday afternoon at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus, fans packed the stands to cheer on their favorite team. But that team wasn't the Minnesota Gophers. Instead, the basketball arena played host to teenager-controlled robots engaged in head-to-head competition as part of the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional.

"We're having a good time and we're glad to be here," Richfield junior Brandon Nicholas said on the first day of the competition. 

Nicholas and his —also known as team 2989—from  spent six weeks building their mechanical masterpiece of motors and sensors for the regional competition.

"It's six weeks, basically every day, immediately after their last class during the school day," said Mark LeFeber, a teacher at RHS and team leader. 

However, some of the team's runs with the robot on the first day of competition were bittersweet.

"There are things about our robot that are really good," Nicholas said. "But it's just, like, accomplishing that main goal. We're having trouble with that."

The goal for the competition is for the robots to take different tubes and place them on a peg. The end result looks much like Tic-tac-toe.

During one run, the laptop that controlled Richfield's robot died, which left the robot motionless.

In another run, the students couldn't get the tubes onto the robot's arm. So instead, they played defense in an attempt to prevent the other team from placing the tubes on the pegs.

"It could be frustrating, but you've just got to keep a calm mind," Nicholas said.

That's just one of the many lessons the Richfield robotics team learned Friday.

By the end of the day, they placed 41st out of 63 teams. Yet their team leader said the robotics competition is about more than team standings.

"The bring side is that if we get to do this again," LeFeber said. "They'll be back. They'll be smarter."

Richfield High School wraps up the 10,000 Lakes Competition on Saturday, April 2.

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