Congratulations! AP students won gold in the global "Robot Olympics"

In the 7th FIRST Global Challenge held in Singapore from October 6 to 10, 2023, 10 Chinese participants competed with teenagers from 190 countries and regions, including our school’s Wu Qianxun from Class 13 of AP Grade 11 and Fan Yiding from Class 15 of AP Grade 11. In the four-day competition, the Chinese team achieved a complete victory record, completed a stunning comeback in the semifinals, and showed a superb level in the finals to win the title. After 3 rounds of 16 competitions, they won the championship with the highest total score, made a historic breakthrough for China, and won the "Zhang Heng Engineering Design Gold Medal" of the event. The award honors the best robot design of the competition.

The FIRST Global Challenge (FGC), known as the "Robot Olympics" is an international competition for 14-18 year youngsters that takes place every year. The competition simulates solutions to global environmental problems through team collaboration to build robots and utilize them. The competition was held in Singapore under the theme "The Age of Hydrogen.” The competition requires participants to combine knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, assemble robots using a unified robot kit, and program robots to simulate and solve problems related to the use of hydrogen energy in a future world.

Reflection from the players

117 days of training, 191 countries, 5 days of competition, memories making the best dreams 

I was very excited to learn that I had been selected as an official member of this year's FGC team. After joining in the FGC team, the new task was a challenge for me, and I needed to build robots together with new teammates. At first, I could not distinguish between various screws, the usage of tools, and the names of parts, and I often felt that I was dispensable in the team and constantly questioned my ability. Through a competitive spirit as the only woman on the team, I slowly found my confidence.  Now I have a role in the construction of each structure of the robot, and I can also design and typeset engineering notes, customize team uniforms, contact sponsors, and buy gifts. I learned so much from it during training.

The final can be described as a series of twists and turns, setbacks and recoveries, breaking through a crowd of seemingly untouchable teams and advance to the finals as the third league captain. In the last game of the final, we did not play perfectly, and as a coach, I did not give the two operators a clear and accurate route. Yet everyone comforted each other. Experiences up to now was already the best result in the history of the Chinese team, but my heart was extremely heavy, sitting on the ground. In my mind I constantly reviewed the mistakes just now, condemning why I did not find a better solution. And it's the next two leagues that will determine our final ranking. At the end of the game, everyone stared at the big screen, and suddenly The People's Republic of China appeared on the display as the first place winner. We are the first, we won the championship! For a second, the world seemed to quiet down, my mind went blank, the results were unbelievable. The next second, there was a roar of applause, my teammates and I hugged each other, and then our league teammates HOPE (Refugee team) and the Vietnamese team, the Eritrean team joined in, and everyone was in tears. Wearing the flag and running around the field, countless feelings poured into my heart, and my shoulders felt heavy. Yes, we did. We made history. This is the first time that the Chinese team has stood on the podium of the FGC champions.

I think what I will never forget is the atmosphere of FIRST Global, where people from different countries often get together and start singing and dancing, perform the little train driving dance to celebrate, exchange small gifts with each other, and sign their names on clothes. The enthusiasm is from all the volunteers, judges and staff on site. It seems that this is not just a job for them. We all enjoy it. We all love FGC. It is also clear why so many players return to FGC as volunteers. What FGC hopes is that young people all over the world will unite together and help each other for the same goal. It is not only a robot competition, but also a perfect opportunity for everyone to learn more about the culture, history and lifestyles of other countries. Here, you will always receive pure and sincere greetings, blessings and praise from all over the world. As their slogan goes: One Planet, One Alliance.

Finally, I want to thank the teachers of the club for their selfless efforts and guidance from beginning to end, and thank the parents and schools for their silent efforts and support behind us, so that we can work hard in the field we love. And thanks to all of you who are dedicated to the STEM community.

--Wu Qianxun, Class 13  Grade11

Now we return home as FGC world champions.  This all happened so fast and so incredible. Perhaps we have not fully reacted to this proud reality, and always feel so a bit unreal. Looking back, the excitement of this competition is not only that we won the championship, but also that I enjoy competing with players from 190 countries around the world.

Before coming to Singapore, we put in a great deal of effort to train and prepare for the event. More than two months passed quickly, and by July, those brand-new parts in front of me had become seasoned robots soaked in sweat. Of course, the preparation period is not just about the assembly of robots. During this period, I was also responsible for writing the team’s business plan, and successfully helped the team obtain sponsorship from many well-known enterprises in China and even around the world. In addition, I designed our own logo. In the past two months, we have conducted more than 20 online meetings to introduce Chinese culture and exchange technology with representatives from other countries, gradually stepping into the international arena.

When I came to Singapore and walked into the stadium, I was shocked.  After all, it was the first time for me to compete with so many peers from different countries in the world.  Everyone cheered together, exchanged gifts, and the atmosphere was instantly infected by everyone's enthusiasm, and smiles were everywhere. We didn't just come to Singapore, we went to all over the world.

What FIRST Global brings is the purity of working together with young people all over the world towards the same goal. The smile that always exists when we look at each other is always clear. FIRST Global brings irreplaceable unity to the STEM community and to the youth of the world.

May more young people in the world go to the world's ALLIANCE through FIRST Global, ONE PLANET, ONE ALLIANCE.

--Fan Yiding, Class 15 Grade 11

Our school’s robot team has constantly won awards in scientific and technological competitions around the world, which not only highlights the outstanding scientific and technological literacy and abilities of our students, but also shows the world the excellence of our school in cultivating innovative thinking and practical abilities. In the future, our school will continue to encourage students to excel in these pursuits, so that they can better solve practical problems with their knowledge in the future and make a great contribution to the development of our country.