The team was made up of 18 students and 10 mentors and they spent most of the first day of practice rounds trying to diagnose a persistent problem, which was a learning experience in itself. After several hours, they found that a shooting motor had shorted out and was causing a variety of other issues. The pit crew replaced the faulty motor and was soon ready for the main event. Solving problems under pressure is one of the many life skills that FIRST Robotics helps students with. The team's programming and build was delayed at a critical time by a broken transmission gear, which had no replacement. Overnight shipping and delivery from California was the answer so that the robot could be ready for the Regional.
Team 876's record was 6-3 and they were quickly chosen to be part of the 2nd ranked Alliance. In the showdown between 2 and 7, the Thunder's Alliance prevailed in two straight matches to move into the semifinals against the #3 ranked alliance. Team 876 lost the first match, then went on to win two straight matches to move into the Finals against the #1 ranked powerhouse. It was a great Finals, but the Thunder's Alliance fell to the opponents, taking the 2nd place trophy. Considering that was out of 58 teams from 5 states, they did an incredible job!
Students traveling to Duluth were the following: Ava Chandler, Beau Enger, Trevin Hins, Hayden Lloyd, Elias Redding, Myelle Redding, Liam Pahner, Mary Pahner, Jett Schwehr, Angela Zaruba, Ander Thorsgard, Drea Rodriguez, Aaron Rodriguez, Freyja Engen, Jay Nelson, Drew Handly, Spencer Boe and Chris Parsons. Mentors traveling with the team were Ben Thorsgard, Ray Aamold, Candice Nelson, Drake Fisher, Justin Nelson, Steven Hlucny and Mike Voglewede. The Drive team consisted of Ava, Trevin, Eli and Spencer. The pit crew was Myelle, Freyja and Ander. Programmers were Beau, Ava, Freyja and Drew. Scouting and Strategy, lead by Drea and Angela, were Hayden, Chris, Mary, Liam, Jett, Aaron, and Drew. Every student provided a needed segment necessary to the success of the entire team.
The team has one more Regional very close to Northwood and Hatton. They compete in the Great Northern Regional at the Alerus in Grand Forks on March 25-26. So come on out to this spectacular event and cheer on Team 876.