Robotics team finishes in top four

The Palouse Area Robotics Team put it all together in Cheney April 4-6 for a top four finish at the Spokane regional.

The team of 19 high school students from Gar-Pal, Colton, Pullman and Colfax finished fourth in qualifying rounds to advance to the finals with the top eight teams.

The last group competed in three-on-three play where their robots shot frisbees into elevated goals and climbed monkey-bar like pyramids.

“It was more of getting ourselves put together in Ellensburg,” said Glenn Woodhouse, the P.A.R.T. lead mentor.

The regionals in Ellensburg and Cheney are part of the international F.I.R.S.T. robotics competitions, for which there are 3,000 teams worldwide. F.I.R.S.T. stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

The season began on Jan. 5 when each team received the assignment of what capabilities their 120-pound, remote-controlled robot must have. They had until Feb. 19 to build it.

“It was a really long, hard season, and even after a sort of mediocre performance in Ellensburg, we made some adjustments to end the season on a high note,” said Woodhouse. “And we’re excited about next year.”