by Dennis Dalman
The Sartell Sabre Robotics Team is soon to compete once again in the world championship robotics tournament in Houston, Texas.
Meantime, the team is trying to raise money to help pay for their trip to Houston (see “Fundraiser” toward the end of this story).
On the weekend of April 5-7, the 27-member team qualified for the nationals during “Granite City Regional Competition” at River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud. The team achieved the same feat last year in the Duluth regionals and went on to compete in Houston.
Earlier this year, the Sabre team also excelled at the Northern Lights Regionals in Duluth.
The Sabre team is now in its seventh year of competition, and a new robot is built every year.
Fifty-five robotics teams, including some from North Dakota and Wisconsin, competed in St. Cloud. It was the first time that city hosted a robotics regional. On Friday, the teams practiced. On Saturday the many teams performed in qualifying matches. Then on Sunday, emotions of excitement, tension and suspense filled the convention center as teams competed right down to the wire. In a breathtaking final moment of play, the Sabre team won and was presented with a banner, trophy and plaque.
Among the fans who cheered and applauded were parents and other family members, but also other fans, such as Sartell High School Principal Shayne Kusler.
The Sabres Robotics team coach is Ryan Swanson, a mechanical engineer who began coaching the Sabre robotics team last year. Its assistant coach is Zach Asplund. Emmerson Hewett is co-captain of the team, along with its other co-captain Paige Erickson.
‘Bagel Biter’
In an interview with the Newsleaders, Hewett discussed the hard work that led to the team’s triumph.
The Sabres’ robot was created during many months of hard work and ingenuity by the Sabre team members. On some days and nights, the students worked to perfect the robot and its functions as late and a few times later than 1 a.m. Their robot is dubbed “Bagel Biter.” That is because the rings it tosses during competition resemble orange foam bagels, one foot in diameter.
At the St. Cloud Regionals, Adam Bertsch “drove” the Bagel Biter, and Quinn Carlson was the bot’s operator. The robot weighs 120 pounds; its size is 28 inches by 28 inches and 2 feet tall.
St. Cloud
Qualification matches lasted all day on April 6 and on the morning of April 7. There were a total of 90 matches during that time, and Sartell played in nine of them. Most teams played 9-10.
The competition had been narrowed down to two “Alliance” groups – Alliance 1 and Alliance 2. On each Alliance, there were three teams, each with its own robot. Sartell was part of Alliance 1, along with the teams from New London-Spicer and St. Michael-Albertville. They competed against Alliance 2 (teams from Edina and two from North Dakota – Grand Forks and Hatton-Northwood). The goal for each of the Alliance playoffs is for one Alliance to win over the other one.
The rules allow for two teams from the winning Alliance to move on to the Houston nationals, as well as two teams that earned top awards for high scores from judges. Among those four teams, there is also the possibility of what’s known as “wild cards,” meaning one or more of the top four teams had won at a previous regional tournament and thus had already qualified for world competition. In that case, another top team is given the honor of going to Houston. Both the Sartell and Grand Forks teams received that wild-card opportunity after the St. Cloud regional competition.
How it worked
During the St. Cloud games, the Bagel Biter was manipulated by remote control across the large, wide playing floor by its driver and operator toward two “targets.” One was a loudspeaker six feet off the ground. Another was an amplifier, much smaller than the speaker. Both had openings in them into which the competing robot would toss the foam rings into those openings, thus scoring points.
During competition, two of the robots in Alliance 1 were rammed by other robots, breaking them somewhat. It took a few minutes to repair the damages before competition resumed.
Other teams
The other two teams in Alliance 1 (New London-Spicer and St. Michael-Albertville) are also going to the world championship tournament in Houston because they qualified for the “worlds” at previous regionals. Another Minnesota team, one from Edina, will also go to the tournament because of high scores given by the regionals’ judges. In addition, two North Dakota teams qualified for the Houston world championship – one from Grand Forks, one from Hatton-Northwood.
Four-hundred teams from throughout the world will compete in Houston in eight divisions.
Hewett said he was surprised and happy the Sabre Robotics Team won a second consecutive place in the world competition.
“I just never thought we’d qualify again this year,” he said. “But I’m glad we did because we all worked so hard this year.”
Hewett, now a senior, is also the captain of the high-school track team. He plans to enroll at Michigan State University where he will study environmental engineering.
Robotics has had many positive effects during Hewett’s young life.
“I really think it’s all about the different people you meet,” he said. “There’s such a range of people, so many different types of people who have so many new perspectives. And robotics builds so many different kinds of skills. One of them is gracious professionalism – learning to treat others as you would have them treat you.”
Members
The members of the Sabre Robotics Team are as follows, in alphabetical order: Tayt Ackerman, Zach Asplund (assistant coach), Nick Asplund (assistant coach), Alexander Assih, Aaden Bemboom, Adam Bertsch, Amelia Bjerke, Austin Boyer, Carter Calhoun (mentor), Quinn Carlson, Karoline Deyo, Talen Dirks, Paige Erickson, Emmerson Hewett, Evan Huse, Graham Huse, Henry Johnson, Rowan Jurgens, Bryce Larson, Owen Lukken, Burg McSorley, Nolan Meling, Emily Obermiller (mentor), Allyson Osterholt, Henry Patterson, Kent Peterson, Grant Silewski (mentor), Daniel Schultz, Ryan Swanson (coach), Dominic Treanor, Kimberly VanHorn, Grayson Vastag and Alex Welte.
Fundraiser
Sabre Robotics team members have accelerated their fundraising efforts after learning April 7 they qualified for the second consecutive time for the world championship tournament in Houston April 17-20.
Team members have been busy hand-crafting various styles and sizes of culinary cutting boards and selling them to raise money to cover expenses for their Houston trip.
The cutting boards are end-grain or edge-grain, planed and finished with food-grade mineral oil. Boards come in three sizes, two thicknesses, and three patterns with a variety of wood types/features available.
This is a message on the Go Fund Me website:
“We are seeking donations and business sponsorship, which will go toward registration, travel costs, and robot and equipment shipping costs. We estimate the cost to be $30,000 for our team. We need the money urgently, as registration is due soon. We want as many members as possible to engage in this memorable experience.”
To purchase a cutting board, go to:
Frc6045.com/fundraiser. Then click on the upper bar, click on “Fundraiser,” then click on “Order Here.”
One can also make a donation without buying a cutting board. To do so, go to:
app.schoolfundr.org/fund/sartellhs-robotics2024
These are examples of the cutting-board designs that are for sale and made by members of the Sartell Sabre Robotics Team.
Sabre Robotics Drive Team Quinn Carlson (left) and Adam Bertsch pose April 7 with the Granite City Regional Tournament’s first place trophy. Both are 15 and live in Sartell.
The Sabre Robotics Team April 7 with their winning banner, trophy and plaque. (Front row, left to right): Grant Silewski (mentor), Emmerson Hewett, Dominic Treanor, Amelia Bjerke, Alex Welte, Rowan Jurgens, Burg McSorley, Paige Erickson, Kimberly VanHorn, Henry Johnson, Allyson Osterholt, Austin Boyer, Grayson Vastag, Zach Asplund (assistant coach) and Karoline Deyo; (back row) Tayt Ackerman, Evan Huse, Nolan Meling, Talan Dirks, Graham Huse, Bryce Larson, Adam Bertsch, Quinn Carlson, Aaden Bemboom, Nick Aslpund (assistant coach) Henry Patterson, Daniel Schultz, Owen Lukken, Ryan Swanson (coach) and Kent Petersen. Not pictured: Alexander Assih, Carter Calhoun (mentor), Emily Obermiller (mentor)
Rowan Jurgens of Sartell uses a miter saw to cut boards April 2. It’s a first step in creating very attractive culinary cutting boards that are being sold by the Sartell Sabre Robotics Team.
Henry Patterson, 17, of Sartell applies glue to seal a cutting board April 2.
Rowan Jurgens of Sartell places several boards of different wood species together April 2 to fulfill a custom cutting board order.
