finished third out of 72 teams at the recent FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition.
This was the third time JC was entering the competition, held on March 16 and 17 at the Jacob Javits Convention Centre in Manhattan, New York. Last year, the team finished 12th. JC was the only representative from outside the US.
"It definitely feels good because, after putting in all that hard work, you find you have something to show for it," said a beaming Gavin Samuels, captain of the team.
The competition was divided into two divisions of 36 teams each. Two-team alliances work together to score points and win matches. The JC team's alliances won four of the five matches in the initial round, placing eighth. One of the top four teams picked them to be their partner in the semi-final, which they won, propelling them to the division finals. They, however, lost by three points. JC finished second in its division and third in the overall competition. Samuels said the key this year was coordination.