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Robotics Team Set For State Games

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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

cpastor@tampatrib.com

Published: February 18, 2009

ODESSA - A community-based high school robotics team that formed this year has qualified for the state championship.

Team Duct Tape won two awards at its first competition in November, which earned it an automatic spot in the state games Feb. 28 at the University of South Florida. Unlike many teams that form from high schools, the six-member Duct Tape team is made up of private school and home-schooled students.

They compete in tournaments through FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Team Duct Tape is one of 50 teams in Florida competing in the FIRST tech challenges. Of those, 28 could qualify for the state championship.

The opening ceremony will start at 10 a.m. that day, with qualifying and elimination matches to follow. Teams use kits that they modify to create robots that can handle different challenges.

B.J. Nyman, Joel Croteau, Aaron Coutinho, Hunter Rasmussen, Christopher Waugh and Christopher Willingham make up Team Duct Tape. They won the Inspire Award and Winning Alliance in November and a second Winning Alliance award at a Lakeland RoboBattle competition in January.
State winners will go on to the world championship in April in Atlanta.

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