Local robotics team qualifies for international tourney in St. Louis

Aiken High senior Casey Izard and his Atomix Tech Challenge robotics teammates have formally qualified for an FIRST international tournament for the "Little 'Bots" in St. Louis, Mo., later this spring.

In the meantime, he and other M'Aiken Magic team members will head to the North Charleston Coliseum on Thursday for a state tournament with the "Big Bots."

In an evening session earlier this week, Izard was among those working on the Big Bot's "mini-'Bot." The Big Bot - most of which is already in Charleston - has a mini-Bot as a secondary but pivotal robot component in the competition. Neither is to be confused with the Little 'Bot, a mainstay of the separate Tech Challenge competition.

"The mini is going great better than I expected," Izard said.

If the Big 'Bot is part of a first place alliance or wins a judges' award, the M'Aiken Magic will also go to St. Louis for its own international event "and that would be really something to do both events," said Izard.

Atomix team members learned last week that they were selected through invitation to the international meet, based on a first-place alliance finish in Orangeburg earlier this month. The other Tech Challenge squads, M'Aiken Tech Magic and G-Force, should hear next week if they will receive invitations.

G-Force put itself in the running by winning a regional in Tennessee in February. M'Aiken Tech Magic was a winning alliance partner of Atomix in the Orangeburg meet.

Not surprisingly, the win at Orangeburg set off jubilation two weeks ago after some significant controversy. Another alliance team apparently had won in a two of three match finals, but the Aiken teams proved a scoring discrepancy. The judges called that match a draw. Another winner-take-all contest was held, and the two Aiken teams and a partner from Anderson won that one easily.

"This is the third straight time that M'Aiken has won the South Carolina meet," said Coach Kelly Russell. "Atomix also has won the last two years, while G-Force won the international meet last year."

Historically, the majority of robotics team members have come from Aiken High. This year's squads have several players from other high schools and middle schools.

The Atomix team includes Silver Bluff High students Courtney Gantt and Shannon Holmes, along with South Aiken High's Angel Holston and Nathan Garner. Silver Bluff teacher Amanda Walters, a robotics mentor, suggested that her students give it a try.

"It's been fantastic," said Holmes. "We've gotten to know a lot of people, and winning two weeks ago was amazing."

"It's been fun to get to learn how to use the tools," said Holston, who's also a CADD student at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center. "I hope to get into design next year."

Another Atomix member who emerged as a robot driver this season is William Turner, still a seventh-grader at Aiken Middle School. He enjoys tinkering with computer-based activities and CADD.

"It's been pretty great working with the high school students," Turner said. "Driving has been a lot of fun. I'm really happy we're getting to go to nationals."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.