Event Wrap-Up: CAGE Match
(2013 CAGE Match Winning Alliance)On October 19th at Southport High School, 31 frisbee-launching and tower-climbing robots from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky came together for the 6th annual CAGE Match. The teams played the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) game, Ultimate Ascent, where high school robotics students built robots that were designed to shoot discs into nine foot high goals and climb a three-tier, 10 foot tall pyramid for points.
Out of the 31 participating teams, two Indiana pre-rookies (teams that will see their first official season in 2014) from Fishers and Columbus took to the field with robots that they built this past summer specifically for the event, or borrowed from a veteran team for the event.
(2014 Rookie Team at CAGE Match)
“The CAGE Match gives rookie teams and rookie members their first competition experience,” said Mike Taylor, event coordinator. “They learn that other teams are competitors on the field, but friends off of it. They get a real sense of community here.”
Beyond the robots, the CAGE Match event allowed teams to develop the local robotics community. Two roundtable discussions were held, one for adults and one for students, exploring struggles and achievements of area teams, and what members may expect their rookie seasons. Area VEX Robotics teams were able to scrimmage, refine their designs, and prepare for the upcoming City of Indianapolis VEX Robotics Championship at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 16th and 17th. Mayor Gregory A. Ballard even made an appearance at the event, showing his support for the growing focus on robotics and STEM programming in Indianapolis.
(Mayor Ballard at the 2013 CAGE Match)
The event also allowed teams to continue their outreach programs and give back to the local Indianapolis community. Participating teams collected 12,405 items to donate to the Ronald McDonald House of Indiana, and five units of blood were donated to the Indiana Blood Center. A silent auction was held at the event that funded a $1,000 scholarship that was awarded to Center Grove graduating senior Mariah Smith.
(2013 CAGE Match Scholarship Winner)
The CAGE Match was hosted by the FIRST robotics teams Southport CyberCards and Walker Career Center Digital Goats, with assistance from Center Grove Red Alert, Kokomo Technokats, McKenzie Career Center Kil-A-Bytes, and Perry Meridian Cyber Blue. A special thank you goes out to event partners AndyMark, Mager Enterprises, Ray Skillman, Sam’s Club, Gordon Food Service, Bimbo, Wal-Mart, Meijer, Kroger, Marsh, Cardinal Insurance, and food trucks Pierogi Love Indy, Taste the Caribbean, and Groovy Guys Fries for sponsoring the sixth annual CAGE Match.
Comments
This note does not have any comments. Add one below.