COMOX, B.C. – Highland Secondary welcomed teams from around the province for a special robotics competition over the weekend.
It was the 10th annual Vex Robotics tournament.
Courtenay-based team 7K Robotics helped put the Comox Valley on the map by ranking second best in the world in the skills challenge category.
The VEX Robotics skills challenge ranked all participating teams worldwide, a total of 3,051 squads.
7K finished with 48 points. The world champion captured 51 points.
The team is comprised of grade 11 Mark R. Isfeld students Gauthier Appaix, Taylor Lafleur and Eony Kim.
“We faced off against (around) 16 teams,” Appaix said.
He explained that their team is a “home-run team”, which means they go to school together but compete in robotics outside of school.
Appaix said this is the trio’s first year working together as 7K.
“In two weeks, there is a competition in Port Moody,” he added.
“The week after that, we have a competition in the U.S. in Bellingham, then there’s provincials which is March 1st, and the US Open, which we’re actually qualified for…(and) it’s like the second biggest event in the world.”
Appaix said that if the team wins provincials, they move on to the world championships in Kentucky at the end of April.
