Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a La Jolla High father’s account of students’ regional robotics competition in Las Vegas Our prospects are good. The match begins with the autonomous period. For fifteen seconds, each team has a chance to score without interference as the robot operates solely by pre-configured programming. The La Jolla High Vikings, a.k.a. Team 2984’s robot has taken advantage of this opportunity (with just a few matches causing them trouble). When the match begins, they are already ahead 6-0. A bell sounds and the drive team steps up to the controls. In a flurry of motion, robots spin and move all around the field. Team 2984 scoots to the middle of the field seeking treasured game pieces. Deftly grabbing a tube in its claw using the controller, George then spins around and races to the wall of pegs. With skill learned through years of video game playing, Andy raises the arm up and hoists the tube into place — three points. Repeating with the two remaining logo pieces gives the Vikings another 18 points. Meanwhile, the other team is maneuvering around on their end as our alliance team member plays defense by blocking their way. Our third alliance member is a no show this match, making it an uneven three-against-two match. By now, the clock is ticking down to the last 30 seconds. George quickly moves the robot to the pedestal with the metal pole, rotating it around to position the mini-bot to score. The mechanism deploys and we wait anxiously for the clock to hit the 10-second mark. In the blink of an eye, the mini-bot hits the pole and races to the top, faster than anyone else’s, for another 30 points! The match is over and Team 2984’s alliance has won. There is a brief period of jubilation, but then the drive team scrambles to remove their machine and controls to allow for the next match. The referees discuss any penalties that may have been assessed during the match (there may be points deducted if one of the robots has crossed into an area meant only for the other team or if blatant aggressive behavior has occurred). Most matches have at least one three-point penalty. After a few minutes, the scores are displayed on the big screen above the playing field. Team 2984 and their alliance partner has won! — Ned Hill III is the father of La Jolla High School student Andy Hill. The school’s robotics team won the regional competition in Las Vegas on April 1 and will go on to compete in the national championships in St. Louis from April 27-30. Read Hill’s full account of the team’s win online at www.sdnews.com.