Salem
robot wins TV contest
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JAY REITER / Statesman Journal
FANS
Aaron Joerger
(center, white shirt) and his father Mark are joined by
some of Aaron’s fourth-grade classmates from Candalaria
School (from left) Rocky Williams, Andrew Duggan, Sara
Johnston and Megan Johnston while watching the Joergers'
entry in "Robotica" on TV at Mimi’s Golf Garden and
Pizzeria.
| Mark Joerger and his son defeat a Corvallis team
and others on "Robotica."
DAN DE CARBONEL
Statesman Journal
April
26
Salem’s own “Run Amok,” a gutty
underdog, shocked the robot world Wednesday night with a
stunning upset in the championship final of Robotica on The
Learning Channel.
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A crowd of about 100 fans at Mimi’s Golf Garden
and Pizzeria erupted in cheers as the 161-pound four-wheeled
metal gladiator knocked “Ram Force” off a raised platform to
win the “Fight to the Finish” and claim the Robotica
crown.
Run Amok, a wedge-shaped, remote controlled
vehicle, was built by Salem’s Mark Joerger and his 10-year-old
son, Aaron. The show was taped last month in Los
Angeles.
Joerger was eager to see the final on television.
“I was so busy driving the robot, I’m not really sure what
happened.”
Joerger won $12,000 and a trophy. Made from lawn
mower spare parts, the robot cost about $3,000 to
build.
One of three robot shows currently popular on
cable television, Robotica challenges the machines to navigate
a speedway, an obstacle course and a “robot a robot”
face-off.
Early on in Fight to the Finish, Run Amok and
JuggerBot, made by Mike Morrow of Corvallis, ganged up on Ram
Force.
“Everybody hated Ram Force,” Morrow said. “Those
guys were jerks.
Morrow, fans and friends of JuggerBot were also
on hand at Mimi’s. JuggerBot now heads to a BattleBot
competition in San Francisco next month.
Joerger said it’s hard to see the season
end. “I felt a little down today,” he said. “I’ve had this to
look forward to, but now it’s coming to a close.”
Producers asked the contestants not to reveal the
outcome. Joerger said that wasn’t tough. “Telling the outcome
doesn’t tell the whole story,” he said. “It’s like describing
the Wizard of Oz in one sentence.”
A win in the speedway portion and a loss in the
maze, then a gutty win in the gauntlet earned Run Amok a spot
in the night’s final showdown.
Dan de
Carbonel can be reached at (503) 399-6714.
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