Kids, 'bots compete in all-day event

BATAVIA – The little robot rumbled forward, its remote control driver sending to collect blue rings the size of large doughnuts.

It reached for the rings with clenching arms, scooping up six at a time and then aiming them for a wobbly goal post.

Meanwhile, another robot rolled toward some red rings, hooked them up and neatly dropped them on a goal post.

In two minutes the match was over as the Great Lakes Midwest Illinois VEX Robotics Competition wended its way though a day-long championship challenge Saturday at Rotolo Middle School in Batavia.

Thirty-six robotics teams of students age 12 and older competed. These included six sponsored by Fox Valley Robotics in Batavia, whose members mixed it up with teams from Chicago, Winnetka, Oak Park, Geneseo, Indiana and Wisconsin.

The goal is to build a robot no bigger than 18-by-18-by-18 inches, operate it by remote control and beat the other team in collecting red and blue doughnut rings. The competition brings robotics enthusiasts together, links them into "alliances" of two teams, then sets them loose to compete in a 12-by-12-foot arena.

Skillz that Killz, made up of Rotolo eighth graders Tim Gietl, Eric Yingst, Bennett Bernardoni and Johsh Vilchuck were allied with Syntax Error, a team from St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Neehah, Wis. 

"I like mechanics," Geitl said, explaining the attraction. "Bennett likes mechanics and is really good with computers. All of us like building robots."

During a break in the matches, the team was tending to their robot, getting it ready for the next round.

"The robot is strained from the crashes," Geitl said. "A lot of it is plastic and the nuts come loose."

This was their first competition in VEX.

"At first we weren't doing too good, but now we're in an alliance with one of the top two teams [Syntax Error] so we're hoping we might win," Geitl said. "When you're put on alliances, it's with people you never knew .... You might get the best team or the worst team, you might be up against the best team or the worst team. It comes down to the luck of the draw."

Among the colorful shirts and hats team members was one unforgettable standout: A Roman soldier costume made from Mountain Dew cans worn by Nick Konetzke, 18, of the team Syntax Error.

His bronze-painted helmet sprouted six full-sized cans while his tunic and forearm protector was made of squares of cut cans held together by Duct Tape. The tabs formed a necklace and the effect was finished off with a scarlet cape.

"This was made some seniors [from the team] who graduated about three years ago," Konetzke said. "It started out as a fun project, but then it kind of turned into our trademark. It's been passed down from class to class. And the farther you go, into the world championship – which our team has been quite a few times – it's important to brand yourself. Because with 400 teams ... they need to remember you. It's very important."