CBC’s Rick Mercer Report attends international robotics showdown at Durham College

CBC Television’s Rick Mercer was on hand at Durham College (DC) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s shared Oshawa campus on March 12 as the college and university co-hosted the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Canada Greater Toronto East Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

Over three days of intense competition, 50 teams from across Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, as well as New York and Texas, demonstrated their engineering skills and knowledge playing FIRST Stronghold™, a robot battle developed for the 2016 competition. The game features a medieval-themed playing field equipped with reconfigurable obstacles that teams incorporate into their battle strategies.

Competitors and judges both agreed that Rick Mercer’s visit was one of the highlights of this year’s event, especially when Rick himself tried to navigate the robots while competing against students in a match. His visit to the FRC competition will be featured on the Tuesday, March 22 episode of the Rick Mercer Report, which airs at 8 p.m. EDT on CBC.

An international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, FIRST hosts several levels of competition for students with FRC being the most senior.

“Not only is FRC an incredible forum for students to learn, compete and improve alongside their peers, it’s a celebration of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Elaine Popp, vice-president, Academic at DC. “This is why we love being part of these competitions. It’s our privilege to host these science and tech leaders of tomorrow, as well as the educators and families who support them.”

Each match in the competition saw two competing alliances of teams remotely guide a robot on a quest to breach their opponents’ fort, weaken their tower with boulders and ultimately capture their opponents’ castle. During two-and-a-half-minute matches, points were awarded to each team for defending their castle, retrieving boulders and defeating the other alliance. During the first 15 seconds of each battle, robots operated independently of their drivers to earn points by moving themselves.

After the final match, the four teams of the winning alliance were declared regional champions. They are:

  • (2056) Orchard Park Secondary School (Stoney Creek)
  • (2634) Chaminade College (Toronto)
  • (746) Westview Centennial Secondary School (Toronto)
  • (118) Clear Creek High School (League City, Texas, USA)

Each winning school was awarded a spot at the FRC World Championship, taking place in St. Louis, Missouri from Wednesday, April 27 to Saturday, April 30. Three other teams that won in specific award categories will also compete at the World Championship. The Greater Toronto East Regional FRC was the second of seven national qualifying competitions across Canada.

See a complete list of award winners.

For more information about the FRC program, please visit http://www.firstroboticscanada.org.