New challenge for BotTanks in Lakewood Ranch

Members of the Lakewood Ranch BotTanks team are used to the thrill of live, in-person competitions.

They had to rush to make adjustments to their robot as other teams took their turns trying to successfully complete missions. They were able to interact with other teams and learn from one another. They were able to see where they placed on the leaderboard. 

But COVID-19 has changed how BotTanks, a Student Advocates for our Versatile and Vibrant Youth team, competes in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Lego League. FIRST is a nonprofit with a goal of advancing science, technology, engineering and math education.

The BotTanks team includes Lexi Brielmann, a fifth grader at Robert E. Willis Elementary; Michael Merino and Matthew Goldberg, seventh graders at Dr. Mona Jain Middle School; Tess Lippincott, a freshman at Lakewood Ranch High School; Ike Lippincott, Owen Lippincott and Jaxon Lemus, seventh graders at R. Dan Nolan Middle; and Natalie Merino, a fifth grader at B.D. Gullett Elementary School.

The team is gearing up for its first competition of the season March 27.

“We know this upcoming tournament is not going to be the same because it’s all going to be online,” Goldberg said. “Zoom is not going to feel the same as actually having that pressure of being in the judges’ room because when you’re standing inside that room, you have to focus hard.”

The team will have to prerecord all of its missions with its robot as well as follow strict rules on how to present its solution to this year’s posed problem, which is how to motivate people to be more active.

The team is focusing on how to create a health app.

The plan for the app is to give children activities they can complete with friends.

In past seasons, the team has been able to invite experts to its work sessions to help develop its  project, but due to the pandemic, all interactions with experts have been virtual.

For example, in the team’s first season of competing, the team had a moon project, and an expert brought moon rocks for the members to touch.

In a virtual platform, it’s difficult for experts to provide demonstrations and examples.

Michael Merino said the team will also miss out on getting to interact with other teams.

“When you go to a tournament, you get to see each other’s projects, how they went about accomplishing things, and you can see how you can better yourself and your team,” he said.

One new challenge that every team faces is that all teams are required to use a new software for coding.

“When we were a rookie team, and we didn’t know the language, there was a ton of material out there we could reference to bring us up to speed,” Coach Tara Bergstrom Merino said. “Because this is a new language, there’s not many materials out there, and because we’re so isolated, we don’t have any way to ask other teams or learn from each other .”

This season might pose more challenges, but the team members said they will push forward.

“I still like the challenge of finding ways to complete runs and do challenges,” Michael Merino said.