Alden Knights Crusade Through the FTC
January 14, 2016
The Alden Knights robotics team is definitely something to be proud of. So far, they have won the Motivate, Connect, and Inspire awards in addition to their qualification in the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Regionals. With such dedicated members, they are likely to have even more success at their upcoming competition on January 17th in Utica.
According to team captain Sara Pasternack, “The Alden Knights are awesome because we are really the underdogs of the FTC. As a rookie team, we very much expected this to be a learning year, but we got much further than we thought we would.”
When asked what makes the Alden Knights so successful, Coach Turton responded by saying, “I feel that people in general waste a lot time doing nonsense that makes no difference in the world, but this team doesn’t. They take their free time and channel it into something worthwhile.” He went on to say that many participants in the FTC just do it for fun, but the members of the Alden Knights take it seriously and want to win.
The team works on one specific robot. They have created several different generations of it by adding improvements after each competition. They are bringing the third version to Utica. “It’s really a work in progress,” says Sara.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competitions are truly a big undertaking. They are usually a 10 to 12 hour process. The robots have to perform tasks such as moving debris into a drop zone. The teams receive extra points if their robots can climb and perform pull-ups.
One thing about robotics that differs from most “sports” teams is that the students make all of the decisions on their own. “It’s all them, I just help support,” says Coach Turton. This sometimes creates challenges, but the team always manages to overcome them.
Another aspect that makes the Alden Knights exceptional is their community outreach. They have worked a lot with younger students at events such as Mother-Son night at the Primary School. They are also hosting Middle School classes in the Innovation Lab to demonstrate 3D printing, Computer Aided Design, Computer Programming, and how they relate to robotics.
If the Alden Knights keep up the great work, they will be well on their way to reaching their ultimate goal of the FTC World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.
Don’t forget to follow @alden_knights on Twitter and subscribe to their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEBIk3Evto54D1TQshhd0A for updates about the team!
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Matthew Tolsma • Jan 25, 2016 at 12:39 pm
I went to the events because i am apart of the Alden robotics club. I am very proud of my teammates and me for making all the away to Utica. Enough that we did stay up the whole night before we could not make the adjustments that were needed to be made in order to make our robot run well because after every round we had something right with the robot. I did not think that we would have made it the the finals during the Utica finals but a miracle happened and we made to the finals and we lost in the first finals round.
Sara Pasternack • Jan 25, 2016 at 11:23 am
Jill- It was great working with you briefly on the article, thank you very much for capturing the point I spoke with you about.
Robotics was a great time and I very much look forward to the future years with FIRST!
Tim Kosmowski • Jan 25, 2016 at 9:02 am
I think that The Alden Knights have been and will continue to be a huge success. We have great minds mixed with great talent and the sky is the limit with the future of this team. Well done
Joseph King • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:58 pm
I see the robotics team doing serious work every time that I go to ICE. I am very proud of them as a team in the Alden community with a the great work that they have done. It is very impressive. I hope that they continue on their success as the Alden Robotics team!
Jimmy Jablonski • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Thank you for the article. It is nice to know that the school supports the robotics team. It has been a great experience and has been tons of fun. FIRST applies to more than just school it helps knowing the skills FIRST teaches later on in life when you have careers and other things. I never suspected that we would get as far as we had and it was an amazing experience to get here.
Joseph Wallace • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Good luck. You guys are doing a great job and it looks like you are having fun.
Adam Wood • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Great job to the Alden knights and the members to a great and very successful start to there first year as a official robotics team. I am very surprised that you are already going to Regionals in your rookie season. I feel like the whole team is putting a lot of work and are actually putting a lot of free time into this team and how much of this work has paid off in your success as a team. I look forward to the season and what you will do and become and maybe we can see you guys in regional play in the future.
Owen Kissell • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:12 pm
Congrats to the Alden Knights on a great season. I seen all the hard work payed off and they are well deserving on their accomplishments this season. I know they will progress to be the best and will be seeing St. Louis sometime in the next 2 years!!
Nathan Nuwer • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:09 pm
Congratulations to the underdogs here at Alden. Staying up-to-date on robotics is important to the school because it is a hard working club that deserves recognition. The team travels just as far, if not further, than most sports teams which is pretty neat. Being a first-season success is quite an accomplishment for such a difficult competition. Good luck in the future.
Chris Greenwald • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Good for you Robotics team. Seems like you all are doing very well. Congrats on making it to the FTC regionals! Bring home a win!
Brendan Weierheiser • Jan 21, 2016 at 12:05 pm
I am very impressed with the robotics team and notice their hard work anytime i am in the innovation lab. Their expertise and perfectionist mentalities fit perfectly together to get the job done and create an amazing piece of technology.
Kerri Wilson • Jan 21, 2016 at 11:55 am
Good job robotics team! Even though you didn’t win you definitely exceeded everyone’s expectations of what you could do. Keep your heads held high and remember what you have learned for next year! Congratulations.
Adam Czech • Jan 21, 2016 at 11:53 am
Great job in Utica last Sunday! You guys are really doing an amazing job being a rookie team that is still learning some of the ropes. Its amazing how you guys can build robots and make them do pullups and move certain debris into dropzones. Goodluck on your next match! I really like your new logo as well.
Zach Gabbey • Jan 21, 2016 at 11:51 am
This article was very well done. The Alden Knights are going to be a success now and for years to come. Great job on the article Ms. Peruzzi, and keep up the good work Alden Knights.
Josh Wardak • Jan 21, 2016 at 11:48 am
Excellent article, Very well written!
Mr. Turton • Jan 20, 2016 at 6:43 pm
Once again Ms. Peruzzi is on top of the impressive accomplishments of the “Alden Knights” Robotics Team. The team ended up finishing 4th in NYS for the FIRST (For Inspiration of Robotics, Science, and Technology) in the FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge). I have coached a lot of teams in a variety of sports and the grit and determination of this team rivals any other. Their determination to succeed at their highest level has been truly remarkable. Another impressive charateristic of this team is how they flawlessly follow the FIRST motto of “Gracious Professionalism” during competition and also work hard in community outreach to inspire robotics, science, and technology in the youth of our community.