What’s up, fellow hivers? This is me again, rilyaaan and allow me to share my journey as a part of our school robotics team. And had an unexpected journey to Tagaytay City.
Back in 2022, our school organized a robotics workshop for beginners, and I didn’t hesitate to join because I wanted to learn basic programming. And we were tasked with finding a partner because a team should be composed of one builder and one programmer. I chose to be a builder because, since I was a kid, I really liked to break my toys into pieces and assemble them back to their original shape. Mending is my thing. One of my classmates wanted to be a programmer, and I didn’t hesitate to ask him to be my partner, and he accepted my offer.
We bought some parts, like sensors and wires, online, and I started to create a line tracing robot. It was so challenging at first because the wiring was a bit complicated, but there’s no small challenge I can’t overcome, so after some time, I connected all the wires with no errors.
After the last finishing touch of the hardware set-up of the robot, my partner then proceeded with the programming. It was a bit tricky on his part too, because he is new to the world of line tracing. But eventually, he was able to program the bot properly. So we are ready for some robotics tournaments.
The first event we joined as a pair was Roboquest. We were so nervous and anxious during that event, and thankfully our bot finished the track. But in line tracing, finishing the track isn’t that important; what matters is the time the bot finishes the track. Ours took around 50 seconds, and the winners only took 25–30 seconds. So we're way off.
We also joined some competitions, but our bot is just not fast enough to secure a winning spot. Other teams are way faster than us, and what intimidates me is that in every competition, we were able to upgrade our parts to make our robot faster, but other teams are also getting faster and faster every single event. So in my entire line-tracing journey, I wasn’t able to clinch a spot in any events.
The most memorable and devastating experience I have had so far in my robotics journey was during the Robo Sports Tournament in Cavite. My partner and I were chosen as line-tracing representatives for our school. But two days before our flight to Cavite, our color sensor broke; that's the most important part of our bot. And what’s worse is that that was our backup sensor, so we have no available color sensor, and buying new ones wasn’t possible because stores here don't sell those kinds of sensors. So we have no choice but to forfeit the tournament. I really felt hopeless at that moment, remembering the time and effort we sacrificed to join and win the event. I felt like giving up at that moment.
Luckily, we have another category to join in, and that was sumobot 500 grams. Basically, the game is two bots fighting in a circle ring that only contains 500 grams of weight. The first one to be knocked off the ring loses. So I felt relieved and got some motivation to not give up.
So the team and some parents then headed to Mactan, Cebu International Airport. Our flight to Manila was at 5 am, and we arrived at 2 am at the airport.
We landed around 7 am at NAIA Terminal 3. Our coach booked two vans for our transportation during our stay in Cavite. We then headed to Saniya Resort and Hotel in Dasmariñas, Cavite, to unload our baggage. We then headed out to the nearest fast-food restaurant because we were already starving.
After we stuffed our bodies with food, we then continued our trip to Tagaytay City. Honestly, it was my first trip ever without the fam, can you believe it? But my friends, they're basically family at this point, so I felt super comfortable. I’ve been to a bunch of cool places, but Tagaytay City? Absolutely the most beautiful and amazing spot. Seriously, it was mind-blowing.When we arrived at People’s Park, it was currently fogging. It was my first time experiencing fog and I find it so satisfying.
After People's Park, we ventured to this Starbucks in Tagaytay. Now, I'm not a coffee person at all, so this was actually my first-ever Starbucks visit. But this place wasn't your regular coffee shop. It boasted an incredible view of Taal Volcano, and on top of that, it's one of the most popular Starbucks in the Philippines! Needless to say, the whole experience was pretty unforgettable, even for someone who avoids coffee like me.
So if you’re looking for a nice traveling place for your family, I highly recommend Tagaytay City.
After we finished drinking our orders, we went to Skyranch. My first and only Viking experience happened there as well. The ride was so fast, and I enjoyed it at the same time. I felt so dizzy. After the ride, I then proceeded to a shelter where our coach was sitting, and after some time, I didn’t notice that due to the ride, I suddenly passed out. My friends then rode a rollercoaster while I was sleeping.
Since we were hungry after the rides and it was already getting late, we went to SM Dasmariñas. We ate separately; my group ate at Greenwich. After we ate and got our stomachs full, we went back to our hotel to get some rest.
Our coaches purposely decided to take a trip before the competition to clear our minds and have a fresh mindset. A day before the event, the team went swimming in the resort within the hotel. We spent half of the day at the pool, having fun and enjoying our stay out of town. The resort even had superhero statues that were so awesome and realistic.
After we had fun, we checked our robots and looked for any broken parts; fortunately, we didn't find any, and it was all set for the competition. Our robot has a high chance of winning.
The big day finally arrived. To be honest, the whole team was so nervous to enter the arena. Even though we'd done this kind of event before, this one was national! I think there were over a hundred schools competing, it was crazy.
When the fight started, our robot suddenly wouldn't turn on. At first, I thought it was just the battery. I replaced it out for a new one, but still nothing. I checked the wires and the motherboard; all were in place and tacked. But it still won’t start. So I started to worry. Ten minutes flew by, the competition was in full swing, and I was freaking out. I ran to my coach, who checked the wires and everything, but finally concluded it might be the motherboard. Talk about bad timing! But we don't have extra motherboards because it was so expensive, and we didn’t think that it would break. My partner and I felt worse than a breakup. We were devastated. All of our efforts and sacrifices were gone at that moment.
But, fortunately, two of our teammates secured a gold medal. I was so proud of them because I really saw their hard work and dedication to robotics.
After the awarding, we then went to the airport, and during our flight, my tears just dropped uncontrollably. I remembered the moments when I came home late due to the preparations and the moments of joy and excitement when our robot performed better than expected during practices.
Until now, I haven’t moved on from that devastating experience, and I can still remember how painful it was during that moment. I just think that maybe robotics isn’t for me, and sometimes I think that I should just quit. Just about when I was giving up, I thought that I hadn’t proved anything yet in robotics, whether it was local or national. So if I give up, that thought will forever be in my mind. So I decided to give it a try one last time, but it was just a local tournament. We entered a different category, which is the track mania category; basically, it’s the hardest kind in the event. It requires advanced programming skills, analytical skills, and precision.
But unlike any other event, this one is unpredictable; the track can only be seen during the event, so you can’t program the robot ahead of time, so time is a viable resource. 5 minutes before the playing time ended, my partner and I still couldn't find the right program. I felt fear during the event, thinking that our robot would suddenly lose its power, just like what happened before. But it didn’t stop me from doing my best to figure out the right program. Fortunately, a minute before the time ran out, I finally inputted the right codes, and our bot finished the track with a time faster than our fellow participant. At last, I finally experienced the thrill of victory.
Winning is not easy. All of the winners out there came from devastation and suffering. I truly agree on Malcolm S. Forbes as he once said that " Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat." That's it for now. See you on my next blog.
(P.S. I don't own some of the pictures; they were taken by my teammates, and I had their permission to include them on my blog.)