Twenty seven teams came together at Lake Trail Jr. School this past Saturday (Jan 25th) for the Fifth Annual Vancouver Island VEX Robotics Competition as fifteen teams from eight Vancouver Island schools went head to head with twelve that had come over from the Lower Mainland.
Coming on the heels of two previous Sack Attack competitions last fall, the field was a mixture of designs refined through experience and novice innovation. Of particular note, Shawnigan Lake in their first ever competition managed to go undefeated (5-0-1) through qualifying rounds and, as Alliance Captains to make it through to the Semi-Finals.
Other noteworthy finishes included Carihi, and Vanier teams who made it through to the quarter finals, as well as Highland and Woodland (also competing for the first time this year).
But it in the end, it was experience that made the difference as two allied Isfeld teams went head to head against two Gladstone teams in an elimination final that was a replay of last fall’s semi-final in Richmond. Gladstone 2K and 2M emerged victorious, each earning a berth at the VEX World Championships in Anaheim this April.
“Team results reinforce the growing strength of the Island Robotics programs and the increasing maturity of competitive robotics across the Province” said Randy Gray, District 71 Career Programs Coordinator and event organiser.
In addition to the Gladstone winners, four Island teams (from Isfeld, Highland and Shawnigan) earned an invitation to the A Division of the BC Championships which take place March 9th at BCIT.
Further details regarding event results and awards can be found here
