4-H Ocosta Wild Robotocats headed to Regionals in Cheney

The 4-H Ocosta Wild Robotocats traveled to Shorewood High School last weekend, March 20-22, to compete in the second of two District robotics competitions to determine if they qualify for the upcoming regional contest in Cheney. The top 64 teams in the Pacific Northwest are invited to compete at that level — just one robotics battle away from the World Championships that will be held in St. Louis, Missouri.

This year’s FIRST robotics competition is called ‘Recycle Rush.’ Starting in January, the team had six short weeks to build a robot capable of picking up, transporting and stacking totes and recycle bins and then topping them off with pool noodles representing recyclables. Teams form alliances with two other teams at each District competition to battle against another alliance, earning points during a timed competition.

The 4-H Ocosta Wild Robotocats team includes 13 South Beach area junior high and high school-age students that are mentored by volunteer adults. This is the fifth year the team has competed since the club’s formation in 2011.

There are a couple more second-round district competitions yet to be held involving other teams, and the results of those will be added to the mix. However, with a Finalist placement last weekend, the Robotocats are currently ranked 13th out of 152 teams in the Pacific Northwest Region and all but guaranteed to be among the 64 teams headed to Cheney.

Financial support needed now

Because the 4-H group has to be self-supporting, the team relies on donations, grants and fundraisers to buy materials for their robot builds and to cover costs for competitions that add up to thousands of dollars each year.

This season the team has received generous support from major sponsors that include Boeing, the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Pacific Seafood, Vacations by the Sea, Westport LLC and Caskey Industrial Supply Inc.

Those sponsorships and team fundraisers have gotten the Robotocats this far. However, with those funds now depleted, the group is faced with the need to quickly raise upwards of $8,000 to cover their $5,000 Regional competition entry fee and an estimated additional $3,000 to cover travel, lodging and meals for the four-day competition.

The team is now asking community members and business owners to donate to their efforts. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. Donation checks made payable to 4-H Ocosta Wild Robotocats can be mailed to: Ocosta Wild Robotocats, P.O. Box 1280, Westport, WA 98595 or you can make a donation online through PayPal. A link for that payment method is on the team’s website at: www.frc3787.com