The Estes Park Middle School was alive with the sound of robots and cheering Saturday as 31 robotic teams from around Colorado, and even one from Kansas, competed in the VEX robotics program in the hopes of moving on to the state tournament March 9 at Silver Creek High School in Longmont.
This is the third year for the EPSD’s Elementary and Middle School’s robotics program. Four Estes Park teams, two from the MS—Those Guys and the Miami Sharks AKA Vexmen—and two from the ES—the Meatballs and the French Fry Guys—qualified.
Teams that win at the state level can then go on to the VEX Robotics World tournament in Dallas May 1-3 to compete with elementary and middle school teams from around the world. High school, junior ROTC, and VEX U events take place between April 25 to 30.
Last year four Estes Park teams qualified for the elementary and middle school world competition.
While these robots do not look like C-3P0 or R2-D2 from Star Wars, they do look like a cross between an Erector Set and a souped-up and stripped-down Tonka truck with articulating crane-like components that can reach, lift, and pull objects from one area to another on command.
Robotics engages kids in the hands-on engineering of building a robot and in under-the-hood computer programming and coding to get the robot to do what the operator tells it to do.
Working with robots teaches analytical thinking and teamwork, it sparks imaginations, and builds confidence as students watch their creations come to life and follow their commands.
It takes a team of dedicated parents, teachers, and staff to coordinate and host an all- day event like the one held on Saturday.
Napolean may have famously said that an army marches on its stomach, but growing kids who operate robots are not much different.
Just ask Estes Park Middle School librarian Mary Gooch how many slices of pizza, and how many tacos, burritos, nachos, soft drinks, donuts, cookies, and other treats it takes to fuel a gym full of young robotic engineers and computer scientists.
Gooch organizes the concession stands for school events as a fund-raiser to help send the kids to the world robotics competition in Texas.
According to Gooch, it takes more than $1,800 for a team to compete, and that does not include transportation or lodging fees for the team members and their coaches and chaperones.
Gooch says the robotics teams are grateful to area businesses who have provided food for the concession stand and they would like to find sponsors interested in helping the kids with the fees and travel expenses.