Turtle TEK was selected as the all-around best team at the Green Bay Hackerz qualifier, winning the Inspire Award. Back row, from left: mentor Mike Schneider, Garrett Schneider, Alex Woodard, Phillip Turner, Isaac Kubatzke, Zander Yost, and Coach Ted Wilder. Front row: coach Heather Schneider, Katherine Woodard, Kelby Schneider, and Austin Thacker. (Submitted photo)

Turtle TEK wins highest award at recent qualifier

Turtle TEK, a local high school robotics team of homeschooled and public high school students from Beloit and Clinton, as well as Poplar Grove, South Beloit, and Winnebago, Ill., recently competed at Green Bay Hackerz. The competition featured some of the best FIRST Tech Challenge teams in the state, and Turtle TEK set high goals for the competition, working to achieve them all season long.

The team members prepared a five-minute presentation and spent 10 minutes answering questions based on judging criteria. Team member Philip Turner said about the experience, “It was easy. I went up and said my lines with confidence.”

Based on their performance in the judging room, they were visited by three additional groups of judges throughout the afternoon. The team was able to share their innovative design plans, how they built those into SCUBA, their Java autonomous and tele-op programming, the outreach they do in the community, their support for younger robotics teams, and how they have learned from local professionals.

There were many obstacles that came up over the course of the day for Turtle TEK, but they were steady through it all. Amidst their multiple judge visits, they played six alliance robot matches on a 12’x12’ playing field. Turtle TEK competed with their custom designed, built, and programmed robot, SCUBA. Although the team’s record was slightly disappointing, their individual performance was strong, propelling them to 24th out of almost 90 teams in Wisconsin.

When the awards were being announced, the team held their breath. Finally it came down to the last award. Kelby Schneider, a freshman on the team said, “At this point, it’s all or nothing.”

Turtle TEK won the Inspire Award, the highest award a team can win. It means that the team is exemplary and is a role model amongst FIRST Tech Challenge teams. Only 10 teams in the state will receive the Inspire Award this season. The team was thrilled when they were announced for this prestigious award.

One of the things that the team contributes to their Inspire Award win is their outreach in the community. This past December, the team held Women in STEM, a program aimed at girls in sixth through 12th grades, at Beloit Public Library. It was quite successful, with over 60 attendees learning about a variety of STEM careers with talks from seven local female speakers. The girls had so much fun doing engineering challenges, learning about career opportunities, and attending a trades and college fair. The team is so grateful to ASA, SHINE Technologies, Fairbanks Morse Defense, Rockford School of Pharmacy, Beloit College, Kerry Foods, CareerTEK, and ABC Supply for being a part of that day.

Turtle TEK will next compete on Saturday, Feb. 1 in Brookfield, Wis., at the Battle of Brookfield before heading to the Wisconsin State Championship at the Milwaukee School of Engineering Kern Center in early March.

For more information about ways to support Turtle TEK, such as volunteering or sponsorship, please contact [email protected] or call 608-676-7329.

About FIRST

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” (FIRST) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering.

With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $80 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition for students in grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge for grades 7-12; and FIRST LEGO League for pre-K through eighth grade (ages 4-16; ages vary by country). “Gracious Professionalism” is their way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.

To learn more about FIRST, go to www.firstinspires.org.