Panthers 'Tech' it up

[Clark Gilbert]

http://www.kokomoperspective.com/new/article.asp?5511

Western’s robotics team one of the best in the United States

By Dean Hockney
Perspective Managing Editor

Each year, hundreds of students from around Howard County practice and play on the athletic fields of the area. Whether it is baseball or softball, track and field or swimming, student-athletes put in many extracurricular hours honing their skills so they are the best in their selective field of participation.

But there are many other teams in our school systems that are not considered athletics, and one of them is a nationally renowned robotics team at Western High School.

The Panthertech team found its origins thanks to the Kokomo Technokats six years ago. Now, they are a force to be reckoned with, according to coach Joe Reel.

“We thought it would be too expensive at first,’ said the math and physics teacher at Western. “But, after some talk, we said we would try it if we could find a sponsor.”
Reel said that he went to DaimlerChrysler and talked to Mike Tuberty about helping the team.

“He got us started,” said Reel. “Dwight Singer got us in contact. It is funny, because Mike was hesitant because he didn’t think he could come up with the personnel to build the robot, and my concern was we couldn’t come up with the money. But he said he could come up with the money, and we said we could build a robot then.”
Reel said DaimlerChrysler came up with the money needed that first year, and they have been partners ever since.

“We had 12 or 15 students the first year, including a girl -- and we were competitive,” said Reel. “We went to the Great Lakes Regional and finished third in our rookie season. So, we went to Nationals our first year.

Now, six years later, the Panthertech squad is fresh off another trip to the Nationals -- and a trip to the Final Four.

“Last year was our greatest year,” said Reel, who has assistance from Marietta Harrold and Dennis Pogue. “We went to the Buckeye Regional in Cleveland, but didn’t finish well. But, of the 60-some teams in the Great Lakes Regional, we were the top qualifier and came in third in the competition. But, we still hadn’t qualified for the Nationals.”

Reel said his team then packed the robot and headed to Chicago for another regional competition.

“In Evanston, Ill., in the Midwest Regional, we were again the top qualifier,” he said. “Then, we won the whole thing! So, we qualified for the Nationals in Houston, Texas.”

In Houston, Western was placed into the Newton Division, and, as they had become accustomed to, they were the top qualifier.

“We won the Newton Division, which put us in the Final Four,” Reel said with a smile. “But, we got put out. So, we like to say we were third in the nation. And that is not bad for a small Indiana school.”

Reel explained that bad luck finally caught up with Panthertech in the finals when the battery of the robot fell out.

“We were dragging it around the course,” he said. “We were just done.”

Now, the team is looking at this years competition, which will include a human component of a player shooting a basket after the robot rolls a ball through a hole.

“That should be perfect for an Indiana team, right?” asked Reel. “We are working on how to get this done now.”

Reel said he wanted to thank many people from DaimlerChrysler for helping Panthertech reach its goals, including: Guy Coolbaugh (took maker), Terry Corder, Dave Young. He also thanked Mark Koors, Andy Baker, Tim Railey, Frank Szorc, Larry Tabert and Mr. Brogoitti for helping over the last six years.