• By Devin Kidd Staff Writer

The Floyd County School of Innovation’s robotics team, “Team Phoenix”, will be competing in an international event in North Carolina in July. The team’s members (Ethan Gibson, Reece Chaffins, Holden Hall and Grayson Tackett) have a special interest in programming and robotics.

The Floyd County School of Innovation robotics team, “Team Phoenix”, will be representing their school in an international event in North Carolina in July.

The team, made up of Ethan Gibson, Reece Chaffins, Holden Hall and Grayson Tackett, has a special interest in programming and robotics.

“I was, and am, more into the coding aspect of it,” said Gibson. “At school, we build stuff and practice; in the competition, we run what we’ve made. Seeing your hard work come to life is a fun experience.”

After placing third at the state level, Chaffins said, the group was invited to a premiere event, which he said led to them choosing the event in North Carolina.

Chaffins said the group’s program is similar to basketball, with two teams of robots going head to head.

“Our game is on a 12-foot-by-12-foot field, with a foam floor,” he explained. “There’s two alliances, so you always have a partner and are going against two people.”

Gibson said the tournament isn’t a standard tournament, as the event is an ongoing 24-hour event.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun since it’s a nonstandard competition,” Gibson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the other teams put different systems on their bots. I love seeing the diversity teams use on their robots.”

Kari Cornett, the team's robotics teacher, said the team only started two years ago.

“Ethan and Reece started the team, and Holden and Grayson joined this year” she said. “They’ve met such a good community and have made so many friends. Additionally, they’ve learned so much programming and I’m so proud of the work they’ve put in.”

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In addition to placing third in the state, Cornett said the team was also awarded the control award.

“It’s for really good programming and design; those boys built their stuff from the ground up,” she said.

Outside of the international competition, Cornett said the team has some outreach events planned.

“They’re going to work with the boys/girls club summer STEM camps in Hazard,” she said. “They’re humble and want to share their knowledge. The opportunity in North Carolina will be great; there are 24 teams in a 24-hour robot marathon with 24 matches.”

Cornett said the competition's end result is secondary to the experience itself.

“Where they finish isn’t what’s important; I want them to gain new friends, new skills and come into the next season with fresh energy and cool ideas,” she said.

Both Gibson and Chaffins said they urge young folks to look into robotics or something similar.

“Doing robotics is a good way to express creativity,” Gibson said.

“It really enhances STEM skills,” Chaffins said. “Not only do you have to think about making something work, but also how to package it within a size constraint. It can become challenging quickly, but it’s fun to solve.”