Robotics competition in line for first Brevard County non-traditional sports grant
Brevard County has long given tourism grants to support youth and adult sports tournaments on the Space Coast.
Now, it is considering a grant for a tournament featuring unusual athletes: Robots.
The Brevard County Tourist Development Council's Sports Committee approved a robotics competition, the Space Coast Showdown, for a $3,750 sports grant. The event will be held in October, likely at either Rockledge High School or Viera High School.
Money for county sports grants comes from Brevard County's 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms and other short-term rental.
Nimisha Vyas, who chairs the event's presenting organization, the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies, says it will help send a message that non-traditional competitions like robotics and esports video gaming should be considered for such grants ― just as more traditional sports events like running races, surfing competitions, and baseball, softball and golf tournaments are. She said it also could help encourage more students with technical skills to get involved in such competitions.
The robotics competition was one of 11 events that the committee approved for a total of $101,625 in sports grants in the current cycle that runs from Oct. 1 through March 31, 2024.
Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said venues in Brevard County have hosted robotics, esports and drone-racing competitions in the past. But this is the first time such a non-traditional event has applied for a county sports grant.
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The grant proposals now go to the Tourist Development Council for consideration on Wednesday and to the Brevard County Commission for what would be final approval on May 23.
Vyas said the 2022 Space Coast Showdown competition attracted 22 teams, and she expects more teams to sign up for this year's event. Although the competition itself is for one day, teams come early to prepare their equipment, and many out-of-county participants and their families are expected to stay in the area for several days before or after the competition. She expects the event will generate more than 250 nights of hotel room rentals within Brevard, as most of the competing teams are from outside Brevard, including from South Florida and the Orlando area.
Vyas said robotics competitions consist of a series of games in which student robotics teams race to complete specific objectives of each game. The Space Coast competition is for high school teams, with 10 to 20 members per team. There also will be Lego League displays at the event for elementary-school-age participants.
County sports grants are based on several factors, including how many nights of hotel room rentals the event is expected to generate and the scores Sports Committee members give the applicants using criteria such as hotel usage and growth potential.
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In discussing the robotics competition's grant application, Sports Committee Chair Christy Galzerano said: "It's exciting to see some new athletic event, something different. Diversifying is not a bad thing."
These are the other events that the Sports Committee gave their initial approval to for sports grants, along with the proposed grant amounts and the dates of the events:
American Cancer Society Gateway to Space Race; $3,375; March 2, 2024.
Beach 'n Boards Festival; $20,000; March 6-10 2024.
Cocoa Beach Half Marathon; $18,000; Oct. 22.
Columbia Classic woman's golf tournament; $5,000; Feb. 9-12, 2024.
Florida Marathon Weekend; $20,000; Feb 10-11, 2024.
Men's Senior Baseball League Holiday Classic; $11,500; March 15-18, 2024.
Moon Golf Invitational; $7,000; Feb. 18-20, 2024.
Red Bull Foam Wreckers surfing competition; $3,000; Nov. 4.
Softball Magazine Senior Softball Camp; $5,000; Nov. 13-16.
Softball Magazine Spring Training; $5,000; March 6-9, 2024.
The Office of Tourism estimates that the 11 events will have a combined economic impact of $20.8 million for the Space Coast.
It was the robotics competition, however, that sparked much of the conversation during Sports Committee meetings in March and April at which the 11 applicants were discussed.
The robotics competition "is what the Space Coast is about, and I think we'd be lucky to have more of it," Sports Committee member Chelsea Parker said during the committee's April 13 meeting.
Parker said she would like to see the county attract more events of this kind, including multiple-day events.
Committee members were divided on how big a grant to recommend for the robotics competition. They deadlocked 3-3 on a proposal to recommend giving the event the full $6,000 grant that event organizers requested, before voting 5-1 in favor of a $3,750 grant.
Cranis said a total of $220,000 is set aside for the sports grant program for the 2023-24 budget year that begins Oct. 1. The second cycle of sports grants ― for events held from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2024 ― will be considered by the tourism committees and the County Commission in the fall.
The Florida Sports Foundation reimburses the Tourist Development Council for a portion of some of the grant.
Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard advisory board recommends sports grant for robotics event
