NEWSFLASH: Tech High School has a robotics club….and they are kind of a big deal. I may be slightly biased, but I am not lying when I say Tech’s seven robotics teams are tough competition at VEX events against teams from all over the state.
This year alone, the teams have competed in six tournaments and one league so far, and if you have seen the robotics display by door six, you would not be surprised that the club has won a total of eighteen trophies this season alone! These include five Tournament Championships, five Skills Championships, two Design Awards, one Excellence Award, and one Amaze Award. Among these accolades are four state invitations and three national invitations.
I will not get into an argument about whether or not robotics should be considered a sport, but what I will say is that the accomplishments of these teams are astounding, especially when you consider that this is only the fourth year of the club’s existence!
In 2015, the club only had two teams and fifteen total members, and they were shocked that even one of them had the opportunity to attend the state tournament.
Now, there are double the amount of participants, and after going through some rocky patches of a.) understanding what a VEX Robotics Competition is and b.) learning how to build a robot, the club is a force to be reckoned with. Besides being successful on mechanical terms by learning to successfully build and compete with their robots, the club’s members have developed many soft skills and are heavily involved in community service.
To start, building a robot is a team effort. Each year, VEX releases a new game that teams need to build a robot to compete in. The strategy and style of successful robots changes drastically from year to year. It takes a lot of cooperation to make a robot that everyone on the team is proud of.
Additionally, the clubs free, educational website botsforlife.com provides information about robotics technology, careers, and education to the public. It has been accessed by schools all over the world. Some teams also give presentations at local elementary and middle school about how others can become involved in robotics.
By this point, I hope you are at least slightly interested in seeing how these robots work. Luckily, the VEX Robotics MN State Championship is in St. Cloud at the River’s Edge Convention Center! The event is Friday, February 1 after school and all day Saturday, February 2. It is free and open to the public. Even if you stop by and see only one match, I guarantee you will be impressed by the force that is the Tech Robotics Club.
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