GL Robotics Club Invited to VEX Robotics World Championship
GRAND LEDGE STUDENTS TAKE TOP HONORS AT VEX IQ COMPETITION
Local Teams Secure a Spot at the REC Foundation’s VEX Robotics Middle School World Championship April 30 – May 2
Grand Ledge, Michigan – April, 2023 – On Sunday, March 12th, four Grand Ledge Robotics Club (GLRC) teams, “Tech X-Bots”, “NO!”, “Slapbot”, and “Builder Bros”, competed at the VEX IQ Middle School MI State Championships in Monroe, MI. The students collaborated with 60 teams from across the state. After impressive showings in the qualifying rounds, all GLRC teams earned spots in the finals, placing them among the top 32 VEX IQ teams in Michigan. The action-packed weekend engaged elementary and middle school students in the 2022-2023 VEX IQ Competition Slapshot, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation. Following the event, NO! and Slapbot were invited to showcase their skills at the largest event of the season, the VEX Robotics World Championship, sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, where the best teams from across the country and around the world compete to be crowned World Champions.
Grand Ledge Robotics Club’s VEX IQ Competition teams are comprised of 3rd – 8th grade aged students from the community. In the VEX IQ Competition, students, with guidance from their parent- coaches and mentors, build a robot using snap-together VEX IQ parts to solve an engineering challenge that is presented each year in the form of a game. Teams work together to score points in Teamwork Matches and get to show off their skills individually in driver-controlled and programming Robot Skills Challenges. Four teams earned spots at the MI State Championship based on awards and skills ratings at competitions they attended earlier in the year, representing the largest number of teams that the club has had qualify and attend the state championships since being founded in 2015. This year Slapbot will be traveling to Dallas, TX, at the end of April to represent GLRC and compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
The VEX IQ Competition fosters student development of teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking, project management, and communication skills required to prepare them to become the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.
Mike Fredericks, GLRC coach-mentor said, “I am proud of these young students for their ability to take what they’ve learned and apply it to building and programming a robot, and then going through the rigors of competing with their creation. The Robotics Club has truly sparked their natural curiosity about STEM subjects, which will serve them well throughout life.”
“Teamwork, problem-solving, and ingenuity are all on display at a VEX IQ Competition event and students develop these skills all year long by participating on a robotics team,” said Dan Mantz, CEO of the REC Foundation. “Together, with the support of educators, coaches, and mentors, we’re fostering students’ passion for STEM at a young age to ensure that we have a generation that is dedicated to creating new discoveries and tackling life’s future challenges.”
About the Grand Ledge Robotics Club
The Grand Ledge Robotics Club was formed in 2015 to promote science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science learning and experimentation in the Grand Ledge, Michigan community for 4th-8th grade students. GLRC uses the VEX IQ systems to solve an engineering challenge that is presented each year in the form of a game. VEX IQ teams meet after school once per week, September - February. They also attend events and competitions where teams work together to score points in Teamwork Matches and get to show off their skills individually in driver-controlled and programming Robot Skills Challenges on weekends, led by organizations around the region and state of Michigan. The club can be contacted at grandledgerobotics@gmail.com.
About the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation
The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation’s global mission is to provide every educator with competition, education, and workforce readiness programs to increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science.
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A special thanks to Matt Junak and the entire Grand Ledge Robotics Club Board for providing information and graphics.
