A team from a comprehensive school in south London is set to make history as the first of its kind to represent Great Britain at the First Global Challenge, an international “Olympics-style” robotics competition. That competition will be hosted in Panama City, where they’ll go up against teams from 190 other nations.
The robotics team, formed two years ago under the guidance of their teacher, Mr. Fry, consists of three dedicated members: Adrian, Kieran, and Teddy. They came in at first to Mr. Fry’s robotics club not really knowing what lay in store for them. Their creativity, passion and gumption spurred them to victory making them the UK’s champions—something they never dreamt they could win.
The team had unlocked a world of possibilities as they built a robot they could freely name “Steve.” With a clear goal in mind, they plan to showcase their skills and learn from their international peers during the competition.
Kieran reflected on their journey, stating, “None of us knew much about the competition. After that we bounced back and just put everything into it – and then we did really well.” He expressed admiration for Mr. Fry, saying, “Mr Fry is like a god in our eyes, he’s just taken this programme, given it to us and look where we are now – we’re going to Panama.”
All of the team members are aware of how far they’ve gotten in just two years and are clearly proud of it. Adrian remarked, “In two years, we’ve come so far. None of us thought when we started that we would become the UK champions and represent our country in a global competition.” What has propelled their success most powerfully is their fierce commitment to listening, adapting, and course-correcting.
Mr. Fry hopes to encourage other schools to enter the world of robotics competitions. He’s an advocate of giving students creative freedom to open up the possibilities in their projects. “I want them to be courageous in making decisions,” he continued. His vision, leadership, and guidance have been key in getting the Animals team to this exciting milestone.
As the date for the competition approaches, the team can’t wait to create many more memories and step on stage for an experience they’ll always remember. Achieving that goal means giving their very best effort and learning as much as possible from other competitive teams worldwide. Their origins as a tiny competitive robotics club. Now, they’ve taken it all the way to an international competition – a testament to their hard work and fierce dedication.