UDRI

Sandy Run Robotics Team Qualifies for Japan!

The team of Matt Merritt, Dror Barekett, Steven Kennedy, Jesse Kohler, Cartherine McParland, and Willy Schultz won the FLL Competition that was held at Pace University in New York state.  This qualified their team to compete in the Open Asian Championship in Tokyo Japan.

This tournament will have 54 teams from 25 different countries.  Our team is one of only 4 teams that will be representing the USA in Tokyo. 

The students have worked very hard since September.  They are a great group of students and we (as coaches, parents, and as a school) are very proud of them.
We hope that you enjoy the pictures on this page.  If you would like to see some more photos find the hidden link on this page (search the white areas on the page to find the link).

 

 The view from Tokyo Tower   Tokyo Tower is like the Eiffel Tower   Tokyo Tower is actually slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower         Looking throught the Floor   A long way down        

The gate to the East Garden of the Emperial Palace   He is so cool   There were many large stone walls   Mr. Miller in his natural habitat   The old and the new   More stone walls        

The base of the old dungeon   Jesse played baseball with a Japanese team   Jesse at bat   He gets a hit!   Jesse runs to first - he also got to pitch and striked the batter out!      Will smiling                        
Wednesday
Our Team and Coaches   Our Team on the stage   Mr. Miller speaking with the staff   It is made out of Legos      A mural made by all of the students working together   Jesse hard at work (playing games )
The team did not compete today.  They just had the awards and closing ceremony.  The team competed well but did not win any of the awards.  One 10 of the 54 teams in the tournament earned awards.  The team finished in the middle of the pack for scoring points on the board.  The tournament will send feedback on the presentations in a few days.
Tuesday
Interesting Building in Tokyo   There are lots of signs in the shopping areas   They made it on the big screen   Matt and Steve Running the board   More of the Tokyo skyline   Almost all of the men in Tokyo wear black suits   When they are sick, the people wear masks   Will and Catherine join   Nice kick Will   More Hackly Sack   Matt and Steve get ready for their last run   ?   Opening Ceremonies were today  

Catherine’s comments:

                The people here are electric. There are all different cultures in this competition; the Brazil team is banging on drums and the French have a song prepared. What’s even more amazing is how everyone is accepting and ready to help. Yesterday, Jesse and I were putting our presentation boards together and two girls from the Denmark team offered us their help. Even though there is a slight language barrier between a few teams, everyone is here for a common goal and purpose.  Everyone has something to contribute, something to teach another nation.  This is a phenomenal experience.

Monday
The team worked hard today to get everything set up in the gymnasium.  Then they had the teamwork, technical, and research presentation.  Nerves were tested, but everyone pulled together.  While we do not know the results of the presentations yet, it was a successful day.  There are many good teams here from all over the world and the students have been getting to know many students from other countries.  The French and Japanese teams both want to set up an exchange program with students from our school.  While I do not know if this will be possible, it is exciting to think about the possibilities and to see the connections that the students are making.
 Catherine - Excited to start the day      The team waiting to get in to the competition   Classroom with a view   The pit area   The pit area   The pit area   The team explaining their research project   The technical presentation   Our table in the pit area        hard at work   Is that a real classroom?   The team's model attracted a lot of attention   Will and Catherine playing with a hacky sack like toy   Catherine trying to pick up marbles with chopsticks                 



Sunday
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will after his yellow case was taken aside for inspection at the airport            Rice Patties            After 14 hours in a plane - Just wait for the 2 hour bus ride            The view from our hotel window            A wedding party             A statue of an actor                   A five level Pagoda            Oh the excitment of travel            The courtyard outside of the temple            More traveling          The shopping arcade             A traditional Japanese lunch - What was it? We don't know              But Jesse will eat anything                  

When we arrived at the traditional Japanese meal on Saturday, Jesse sat down and poured himself a glass of tea from a pitcher on the table.  After taking a sip, he declared, "This is soy sauce!"   
Today we went on a tour with just our group.  We visited Tokyo Tower, which is similar to the Eiffel Tower.  Then we went to the East Garden at the Imperial Palace.  It was a very nice garden with lots of trees, flowers, and large stone walls.  After the garden we visited Ueno Park.  It is a large park like the mall in Washington D. C.  The national museum and the national science museum are there.  We finished the tour with a river cruise of Tokyo.  Tonight we will eat our last dinner in Tokyo as a team.