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WCHS robotics teams compete in Mecha Mayhem in Calgary

Winston Churchill High School sent three teams to Mecha Mayhem, Canada's first VEX Robotics Signature Event.
From Feb. 3-5, over 120 middle and high school teams took over the BMO Centre in Calgary for three days of competition to claim the title of Mecha Mayhem Champion.
“The kids did very well for our rookie year in VEX,” said WCHS teacher Nevin Morrison. “All teams had some successes but one of our teams did really well and made it into the playoffs.”
Morrison added a ton of work went into the Calgary event, and team members are already looking ahead to 2024.
“The kids worked late into the night at the hotel even after long days at competition to make sure their robots were ready for the next day,” he said. “It was a great experience with many lessons learned. The kids are already excited for next year's challenge.”
Students competed in a game called Spin Up, played on a 12x12 square field, as two alliances, composed of two teams each, played in matches that consisted of a 15 second Autonomous Period, followed by a 1:45 Driver Controlled Period.
The object of the game was to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring discs in goals, owning rollers and covering field tiles at the end of the match: SPIN UP.
The highly-competitive game provided Churchill students with a number of issues to work though.
“With limited funding and resources, the main challenges came from tuning the robot to the actual field, once we arrived at the event,” said Morrison.
Playoffs were a single elimination, as one other team joined the alliance.  
“We did not make it past the first round but the competition featured teams from across North America and this was our first year, where as some teams have been competing for 10-plus years,” said Morrison.