Robotics Season Kicks Off with Largest Team Ever
by Jeff Winsor, CDH Robotics Coach
January 16, 2024
The CDH robotics team “Wind Chill” is led by captains Michael Loeffler ‘24, Mary Musolf '24, MJ Dougherty ‘25, and Owen Graeve '25. We have more students than ever before in our 16 year history, and our captains are doing a great job managing and running the meetings.
Our team goes to two events each year; one “away” event and one “home” event. This year, we will be going to Grand Forks at the Alerus Center and Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota. We compete through FIRST Robotics, which is a worldwide organization for high school students, focused on introducing students to STEAM skills through a team-based competitive atmosphere. These competitions are very similar to the high school state championship events, free, open to the public, and a fantastic place to bring families!
Each year brings a new robot and new challenges for the CDH Robotics team. Following last year's season, our capabilities have increased with the access to new equipment in the Ryan STEM Center. We're excited to see what the students can come up with to solve this year's new challenge.
Two years ago, we won Team Spirit awards at both of our competitions for having an enthusiastic and outgoing team. Last year, we won the Gracious Professionalism award, given for (you guessed it) being both gracious and professional to the judges, volunteers, other teams, and fellow team members.
Robotics competitions are unique. It can be hard for people to understand, but when one team’s robot breaks, other teams help provide support to get them back on the field before their next match. The goal of all teams is to have the best opposition available. Every year it’s a toss up whether we’ll have a competitive robot or not, but the skills and confidence the students build while competing and learning through failures and successes will serve them well in the future.
Upcoming Events
March 7 - 9
Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
April 4-6
Williams Arena, Minneapolis, MN
Live Stream
All of our competitions are live streamed.
Follow along to see how our team progresses through the season!
FIRST Website
See the the FIRST Website for more information on teams, organization, and competitions.