Carla Clark | For The Republic 4926 GalacTech team members wait to compete during the Indiana Robotics Invitational, hosted at Columbus East High School, Columbus, Indiana, Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Columbus’ local high school robotics team is planning to compete at two off-season events around the state.
Team 4926 or “GalacTech” will compete at the Boiler Bot Battle on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds in Lafayette.
The battle is an annual off-season competition organized by Purdue For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Programs, a student organization and class at Purdue University. The event brings FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams together to compete in the previous season’s game, which in this case is “Rapid React.”
“The event allows teams to learn, practice their skills, and get excited about the upcoming season,” said organizers. “Additionally, the event is held close to Purdue University, giving teams the opportunity to visit the campus and ask current students questions.”
According to Columbus Robotics president and Team 4926 founder Sam Geckler, there will be 32 FRC teams competing at the event. Most are from Indiana, but there are also a few from Illinois.
GalacTech will also compete at “IndyRAGE” (Raising Awareness for Girls in Engineering) on Oct. 22 at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis. Geckler has been preparing a new, all-female drive team for the event.
He explained that two students operate the team’s robot together during the competition: the driver and the operator. The driver controls where the robot moves, and the operator’s responsibilities change based on the year’s game.
Geckler said he’s mainly been training the female drive team for IndyRAGE, but the Boiler Bot Battle is a bonus that provides “great practice against what looks to be really good competition.”
“Each of these is a single day event intended to get newer students acclimated to the rigors of FRC,” said Geckler.
