Barstow’s First Robotics Team broke to semis at the annual Cowtown Throwdown Robotics Tournament. The tournament is one of the few competitions that takes place during the robotics preseason. 

While the team technically did not place as well as last year, when they broke to finals and won, morale remained high throughout the tournament. The whole team worked to overcome problems such as on-site mechanical complications with the robot. 

“Our robot kind of stopped working,” said Michael Mou (‘23). 

The “Kuh-Nig-Its” were able to advance to the semi-finals where they first lost by one point, then won by one point, then were forced to drop out in their third round when the robot’s air compressor overheated. This stopped the robot from being able to use pressure, which is necessary to complete most tasks in the tournament. 

Despite this, the robot’s overall performance at Cowtown surprised most team members. The team used it last year to compete at the World’s event in Houston, and some expected it to break down earlier. 

The next competitions will take place in spring. Good luck Barstow Robotics!