It takes six hours to drive northwest from the Twin Cities to Greenbush, MN, but the distance doesn’t matter when a FIRST Robotics summer camp is the destination. From August 2-5, seven FIRST Robotics teams from around Minnesota gathered in the small northern town of Greenbush for the second annual Swamp Fest – a collaborative multi-day retreat put together by Team 5172-Gators and The Green Machine.
Swamp Fest, previously known as SwampMachine, originated in 2017. Teams 1816 and 5172, plus FRC 3750-Gators, Badger, MN, held a weekend retreat featuring team-building exercises, seminars, robot play, and cornhole games. This year, the event nearly tripled in size, with over 100 students and more than 30 mentors attending. Taking part in this year’s camp were FRC teams 876-Thunder, 1816-The Green Machine, 2177-Robettes, 2883-F.R.E.D, 3750-Gator Robotics, 4539-Kaotic Robotics, and 5172-Gators.
Swamp Fest was designed to help Minnesota teams outside the Twin Cities (primarily central and northwestern Minnesota, and North Dakota) interact with one another in a fun, low-pressure atmosphere. In the relaxed atmosphere of a multi-day camp, students were able to participate in activities like welding, riding a combine (thank you Kuznia Family!), and a Swamp Fest “Corn Hole Challenge,” which doubled as a fundraiser to benefit the Roseau County Shriners. As part of closing day activities, the Shiners were treated to a Pancakes versus Waffles breakfast and presented with a $1,300 check.
The camp featured deep-dives into FIRST Robotics and related topics. Greenbush Fire Department volunteers held a seminar on grain bin and fire safety, including the chance to handle and use different types of fire extinguishers. OSHA expert Brian Byklum gave a presentation on safety in the workshop. Students and mentors also had the opportunity to become CPR and First-Aid certified under the supervision of local EMTs.
Student-run seminars included a “More than Robots” presentation by 1816 on how to craft competition presentations. The workshop challenged participants to write a “60-second elevator speech” that provided information about their team to a stranger in less than a minute. Each team also had an opportunity to give a presentation about their 2018 robot and how well it met the game challenge of FIRST Power Up. Team 1816 spoke about ZzBot, addressing the challenges and successes that the team faced during the season.
SwampFest was no doubt a success – it even received coverage in the local newspaper! Team 1816 thanks Russ and Mary Anderson, the co-lead Mentors of Team 5172, for hosting the event on their farm in Greenbush, and for arranging housing for all participants.
Plans are already underway for the 2019 Swamp Fest. Teams 1816 and 5172 plan to co-host the event again, featuring additional workshops and activities to appeal to a wide-range of FIRST Robotics participants.