FIRST Robotics Competition Holds Annual Regional Challenge at VCU

By Pattie Cook and Jim Babb

Students on more than 60 high school teams from across Virginia and from four other states are converging on Richmond to test their skills in the  FIRST Robotics Competition Virginia Regional March 19-20. The annual competition will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University's Stuart C. Siegel Center.

 “FIRST is about giving kids the opportunity to build skill sets like analytical thinking to then develop what they may or may not use to build a robot; but they might use these skills to become a scientist, engineer, or inventor,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder, as he explained how what students learn from FIRST is very different from other sports. “Ten years from today, one of these students is going to be out in the world having done something extraordinary for a major, global problem.”

The student teams - plus engineers, teachers and mentors - will gather at the Siegel Center to compete in this year’s FIRST Challenge, called “BREAKAWAY.”  In the game, two alliances of three teams will compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with bumps, earning points by guiding their robots to kick or herd soccer balls into goals. Additional bonus points will be earned for each robot suspended in air and not touching the field at the end of the match.

"We're thrilled to offer a program that encourages careers in science, engineering, math and technology," said Pattie Cook, Executive Director of VirginiaFIRST, which produces the Richmond games.  "Students not only will test their robots, they'll learn to build alliances, work in teams, and gain an appreciation of the importance of gracious professionalism."

In addition, spectators and participants are invited to experience a "Technology Row" at the Siegel Center for corporate sponsors and university partners to showcase their latest in technology and research. The goal is to show students that what they are doing on a FIRST team is relevant to real world applications.

Also on display at the Siegel Center, presentations of the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), which provides high school teams affordable, accessible opportunities to compete head-to-head using an exciting sports model; and FIRST LEGO League (FLL), which engages younger children, ages 9-14 (grades 4-6) in playful and meaningful learning.         

The Virginia Regional is one of more than 40 similar events held around the country in late February, during March and in early April.  The Virginia Regional is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4p.m. on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20.  Admission is free.

The Virginia Regional is one of three regional competitions organized through the FIRST National Capitol Region, which coordinates FIRST Robotics Competition activities in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  The National Capital Region is presented by sponsors BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin and NASA. For more information about our sponsors, click here.

Check out VIDEOS showing FIRST in action:

Click Here for video #1.  Click Here for video #2.