Cosmic Snowballs come home disappointed but determined from state contest

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City Middle School’s robotics club suffered a heartbreaking end to its season over the weekend as, for the second year in a row, the Cosmic Snowballs came frustratingly close to victory in the FIRST Lego League state championship in Ames.

“It was not the result we wanted it to be,” said Coach Patrick Nyberg.

While the overall contest involves several aspects, the spotlight is on the robot games, where each team’s robot must complete a series of pre-defined missions in a limited amount of time. Each mission awards a certain number of points, so teams must strategize their robot’s route and program it to complete as many missions as possible, finding a balance between speed and accuracy.

After two problematic runs, the Cosmic Snowballs made their adjustments and ended the day with a top score of 330 points, placing them in the top six spot for the robotics contest.

The loss was made all the more disappointing for the team by knowing how close they were to an overwhelming success.

“They had two 50-point missions that missed by a fraction of a centimeter,” said Nyberg.

With the top ranking team scoring 360 points, either mission succeeding would have secured a first place finish for the Cosmic Snowballs.

Getting so close to victory and watching it slip away not once, but twice, is a tough lesson for the Cosmic Snowballs, but doesn’t diminish the pride Nyberg has in the team, he said. In the two years that the middle school robotics program has been going he said he has been amazed at the problem solving and technical proficiency his students have developed.

“Nobody has put in the time these kids have put in,” said Nyberg. “They are doing this at a very high level.”

Outside of the robot game, teams also had to present an innovation project. The Cosmic Snowballs made their presentation about how Iowa agriculture runoff affects the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico and conservation methods to help mitigate it.

“The Snowballs had the best presentation I’ve ever seen,” said Nyberg.

While a trip to the national contest is again out of reach for the Cosmic Snowballs, the season is not quite over for the middle school robotics team. The group is waiting to hear about a post-season contest and has already been invited to the Robo Rumble in Webster City on Feb. 22, where they will have another chance to demonstrate their technical prowess.

“They’ve definitely got a little fire under them,” said Nyberg.

The Cosmic Snowballs weren’t the only Charles City team at the state contest, either.

The fifth-sixth grade team, The Braniacs, scored a season high of 240 points at the competition and made a presentation on oil spills and containment. They will also be going to the Robo Rumble.

“It was a good showing,” said Nyberg.

Immaculate Conception’s fifth grade team, the IC Smarties, made the trip to Ames for the state contest as well. While the Smarties also had issues on their robot runs, the team really shined in robot design and their innovation project, where they developed prototypes for community bag dispensers that facilitate unwanted plastic bags to be repurposed for collecting animal waste.

“The team did great,” said Coach Jeanne Hansen. “I think the strong point for them was definitely the innovation project. They had a really well-thought-out problem and solution that focused on a local issue.”

With three teams attending the state contest, Charles City has an outsized presence in the middle school competitive robotics world for its size, and both coaches said they are happy to see their students recognized.

“For us, state was really a celebration,” said Hansen. It was a really exciting day.”

“It’s cool to see three teams there,” said Nyberg. “It’s a special group of kids.”