The state robotics competition was on March 9-10 and Lincoln sent two teams to the competition. Though the teams did face some major struggles in the buildup, they did well at state, with one team advancing all the way to the semifinals. One of the biggest struggles for the team is finding funding for the program. The Lincoln robotics program is unique because it’s the oldest robotics program in the district that is a class participating in tournaments. According to Adam McQueen, the teacher in charge of the program, funding is mostly found outside of the school.
“Funding for [robotics] is very little through the school. Usually, it’s just fundraising, grants [and] parents,” said McQueen. “We do get some money from the school, but not a ton.”
According to McQueen, other teams in the state have more funding and resources than Lincoln’s teams. Teams like Overcharged, a club robotics team from Oregon, have far more sponsors and funding than Lincoln’s teams, making them hard to compete against. This means that it is harder for Lincoln’s teams to go to worlds, a competition against teams from across the globe.
Senior Cody Steele, captain of one of the Lincoln teams, agrees.
“A lot of top teams have so much more funding and so much more time [than us],” said Steele. “It’s a lot easier for them to go to worlds because you go straight from states to worlds.”
Funding aside, the Lincoln teams were looking forward to the tournament and a chance to prove themselves against some of the best teams in the world. They had spent months building and preparing their robots for the competition.
“We’re gonna be building every second until that first match,” said Steele. “I think there’s a very high chance that we show up and we prove that we’re a competent team and that we’re supposed to be there, that’s really the goal.”
