YRHS maintains robo-dominance

The Yorkton Regional High School Robotics Club is once again Saskatchewan champion in the Skills Canada competition.

Carter Park, Brayden Miller, Josh Tysowski and Michael Kosuska won the provincial championship in Saskatoon at the end of April, but not without some hiccups.

"Our first match we blew a fuse right out of the gate, so we lost that one, but after that we came out strong and by the end of the round robin we were in first place having only played three games, but scoring really high," Kosuska said.

The game was moving pallets from one side of a playing area to the other through a maze, over a teeter totter or using a stair lift, then stacking them in slots on a stand.

"We had to get creative," Miller said, crediting five months of experimentation and daily practice for the last month. He also gave full marks to Tysowski for his superior driving skills.

Park, who plays hockey along with Miller, said the victory stacks up.

"It's one of the better wins I've had," he said. "All the hard work we've done throughout the year, to finally get what we wanted."

Park also gave a nod to Kevin Chiasson, the boys' coach and the schools electricity, electronics and robotics instructor.

Chiasson gave full credit to the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the kids, but said at least part of the school's ongoing success is the unique environment at YRHS.

"Robotics isn't just robotics," he said. "It's electrical and welding and carpentry and we have all that right here."

The championship builds on last year's record by the team of Jayden Leister, Bo Chiasson, Taylor Pachal, and Rachael Machnee, who parlayed provincial gold into national gold at Edmonton. Leister and Chiasson went on to international glory winning the World Skills Americas competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will compete in the Worlds in July.

This year's Americas championship will be in Bolivia in October, but the boys aren't thinking that far ahead yet.

"We're going to probably take it one step at a time," Kosuska said.

The next step is to take on teams from across the country in Vancouver at the national championship June 5 to 8 at BC Place.

Skills Canada is not just about robotics though. Other winners from YRHS came from the cosmetology program.

Alayna Hansen brought home gold in the creative braid and bridal hairstyling category. The Grade 12 student will be moving on to study cosmetology at college next year.

In the manicure, pedicure and total look fantasy competition Keara Takatch, Grade 11, took bronze.

Cosmetology teacher Carmella Kirschman-Lutz said she expects Takatch to do well again next year.