BLHS Panther Robotics Club to Compete in Seattle Regional FIRST Competition Starting Today

Bonney Lake High School is among 64 high school teams taking part in the Seattle Regional FIRST Robotics Competition beginning today Thursday, March 28 and running through Saturday, March 30 at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle.

The competition challenges students to design and build remote-controlled robots from the ground up in six weeks with support from professional mentors and engineers. This year’s theme, Ultimate Ascent, tests robots’ abilities to throw Frisbees into goals during a two-minute and 15-second match. At the conclusion of the match, robots will attempt to climb up pyramids located on the field.

BLHS Robotics head coach Jason Vander Hoek said the team is in its fourth year of competition and currently has about 20 students and 5 mentors. You can follow the Panthers on their website pantherrobotics.org. 

Editor's Note: Read this interview Patch did with the team before last year's competition.

The competition is hosted by FIRST, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Teams will compete – robot against robot – for regional awards and a spot at the FIRST National Championship on April 24-27 in St. Louis, Mo.

Admission to the weekend event is free. The public is invited to attend, catch the excitement, and cheer on all the robots and teams.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Thur, March 28

8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Robot testing, inspection and practice

Fri, March 29

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Opening ceremonies

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Qualifying matches

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Qualifying matches

5:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Awards ceremony

Sat, March 30

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Opening ceremonies

9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Qualifying matches

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Final rounds

4:30p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Awards and closing ceremonies

Organizers don't anticipate having a specific qualifying match schedule until Friday morning. If you're aiming to catch the Bonney Lake High School students in action, it is recommended you attend the qualifying matches beginning at 9 a.m. Friday to ensure you don't miss them.

Paid parking is available on the street or in the CenturyLink Field Event Center Parking Garage.