The OtterBots had a great showing at the Great Northern Regional in Grand Forks over the weekend. Teams from all over the region and as far away as Wisconsin and Missoula, MT came to test their robots. The team learned so much and worked with other alliance members to demonstrate their solution to this years game “Charged Up”.
“It was so exciting to be part of this event this year”, according to Bill Swanson, head mentor for the OtterBots. “We have a very young team, many of who had never been to a regional event. Even at that the OtterBots were selected to play in the afternoon tournament because of the fast and reliable way their robot, affectionally named Elvis, could quickly and efficiently gather game pieces and score.”
While it is unlikely that the OtterBots will qualify for the state tournament this year, there is no question the team had a great experience, advanced the knowledge base of the team, and will come out stronger than ever in 2024.
“There are some off-season events this summer that I hope we can attend and continue to have some fun”, explained Swanson.
The OtterBots, sponsored by US Bank, Otter Tail Power, and Central Lakes Robotics are made up of the following students; Landen Krause, Lance Johnson, Braden Bucher, Olivia Swanson, Logan Bredenberg, Kendal Hanson, Alexandra Grotberg, Tim Ekelund, Eric Swanson and Eleisha Krause. The team mentors are Bob Drake, Darrin Hanson, Aaron Demuth, Jennifer Krause and Bill Swanson.
