For the second time in as many years, "The Green Machine" is headed to Louisville.

A five-member team with South Hagerstown High School's Rebel Robotics club has qualified for the Vex Robotics World Championship in April after a good showing at the state competition last weekend.

"We felt really, really amazing we were able to do it again," said Maryanne Kimani, one of three seniors on the team.

The group also composed of seniors Kent Ha and James Stell, along with freshmen Cameron Hahn and Dylan Johnson punched its ticket to the world championship by placing third in the skills competition and advancing to the semifinals in tournament play at the Maryland Vex championships on March 4, said Don Custer, club adviser.

"I believe the program here keeps getting better every year," Custer said. "The kids' dedication to what they're doing is phenomenal. They spend hours and hours every day, every week, working on these robots."

As they often do, the club which has 22 active members got together Thursday after school to continue perfecting the operation of the robot they call "The Green Machine" in a game called "Starstruck."

Maryanne and Kent are the team's co-drivers, with her working the robot's arms, and him controlling the wheels.

Together, they move the machine to pick up objects and launch them over a fence to score points. At the end of a round, they can earn bonus points by hanging the robot on a pole located in the corner of the 12-foot by 12-foot playing field.

Custer said students largely use trial and error in crafting their robots each year, learning various designs and techniques at competitions to fine-tune and improve their creations.

"I learned that failing is key to success," said Maryanne, who attends classes at Washington County Technical High School. "So if the robot is broken down in one area, it's trying to tell you something."

Kent said it feels good to advance to the worlds for the second consecutive year, and he is confident in the team's chances of a good performance.

"After a whole bunch of rebuilds with this robot, it feels pretty nice to actually have a robot that works efficiently and quick," he said. "Usually, after every competition, we would rebuild a new robot. New design, new concept, but this time we're actually sticking with this because it's great."

The world competition will take place April 19 to April 22 at Louisville's Kentucky Exposition Center.

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South High robotics club advances to world competition again - Herald-Mail Media