Three local teams will compete in Vex Robotics World Championships in Texas

ZANESVILLE −Three robotics teams from McIntire Elementary School are headed to Dallas, Texas, May 1-3, for the 2024 Vex Robotics World Championships at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.

The three teams, comprised of fourth to sixth graders, competed against 5,853 other teams across the globe for the 400 qualifying spots available at the Worlds.

“We have some talented kids this year that are just really into robotics,” said Jessica Cranz, who will take over the head coach position of the robotics teams next year. “It’s a student-driven program. They’re coming up with the idea and their success has to do with the robot building itself. We had kiddos this year who just put in so much time and effort — and it paid off.”

The three teams traveling to Texas are: Team CR7 with four members, named after Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo; Team Legendary Pickles with three members; and Team The Flying Squirrels, also with three members.

“They sign up for the robotics club and then split off and make their own teams,” said Cranz, who coaches with her husband Jonathan. “It started at our high school with Dr. Bill Stewart, and then he expanded it through middle and elementary schools.”

Stacey Mohler, a fifth-grade teacher at McIntire, initially coached the team. This will be her last year.

“She’s done a great job,” said Cranz.

Mohler’s last year will see her teams compete under this year’s competition theme of Full Volume.

“A new game with a new theme is issued every year,” said Cranz, explaining that the season starts as soon as the world championship ends. “Our students don’t start building until the beginning of the full school year, but it lasts the whole school year. It’s a huge commitment for the students.”

And an expensive one. If teams qualify at the local and state levels to make it to worlds and compete, the entry fee alone, per team, is a steep $1,800, plus flight and hotel accommodations, and meals.

“We are fortunate to have a sponsor,” said Cranz, adding the sponsor prefers to remain anonymous. “The program is very expensive to run.”

Competition fees aside, students require equipment and parts to build their robots for competition.

“Everyone who participates has to build a robot that completes the task of the current year’s game,” said Cranz. “The robots are placed on a field of play where they earn points. Students must have a strategy to score the most points in the shortest amount of time and in the best configuration.”

Robots this year will have to navigate a 6 by 8 foot field of play that has three difference sizes of blocks. The robots will have to pick them up, sort them by color, and place them in bins, among other things.

“For part of it, they’re matched with a partner team to complete the task,” said Cranz. “In addition, they run the field by themselves, and then they run the field with just a program they’ve coded.”

The team with the highest number of points in 60 seconds wins. But Cranz said win or lose, the kids will get a great reception at the worlds for their efforts.

“When they get to world competition, they get a huge celebration,” said Cranz. “They’ll get their accolades there.”

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Three local robotics teams headed to world championships