On January 24, the Elkhorn North Robotics team competed in the O’Neal Eagles Robotics Tournament against 40 schools. In this tournament they made it to the semifinals, losing to the eventual champions, Grand Island and Brownell Talbot, although winning the skills competition against some of the best teams in the state.

With an incredible amount of dedication from all members of the team, this impressive feat is a huge step towards qualification for the World’s Championship in St. Louis, MO.

Senior Zane Larson is a leader on the team and the pilot of their robot. His role is extremely important as each team has a limited number of attempts in tournaments, and so far this year Larson has been extremely efficient.

“He’s the kind of guy to not leave anything out there. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it done,” Robotics coach Chris Peters said.

According to Peters, Larson and the team have spent around 40 hours the week prior to the tournament on programming. In addition, to perform at a high level it takes incredible strategy, driving skill, and understanding, which is represented greatly within Larson.

“By doing well in skills, Larson’s team is securing a spot at the World’s Championship, which has been a goal since they showed up as freshmen,” Peters said.

For the skills challenge, the team has three tries to drive through the course, and only a minute to score as many points as possible. With a combination of scores in programming and driving, it is very important to do well in both categories to secure a win. 

“He knows how to work within a team really well,” Peters said. “He’s become a really good networker and has made friends in the robotics community.”

Larson is a natural leader and is always searching for ways to improve the team. With a spot to the World’s Championship becoming seemingly more possible, his role becomes increasingly more important.

“He’s a great guy, he puts in a lot of work, and we’re having a lot of fun with it,” senior teammate Sai Smaran-Araveti said.