SARATOGA COUNTY — Saratoga County 4-H’s RoBovines Robotics team has done it again! On March 6, the RoBovines won the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Excelsior Region Championship.
Starting out 4th in the semi-finals, the RoBovines were able to defeat both the 1st and 2nd seed alliances to become the Winning Alliance Captain. This victory earns them the honor to move on the FIRST Championship being held in Houston, TX happening April 20-23, 2022.
“This is unprecedented for Saratoga County,” said Greg Stevens, 4-H Issue Leader. “We are so excited for this group and the opportunity World’s presents.”
FIRST Tech Challenge teams design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. They work with each other and their mentors to CAD (Computer Aided Design), build, and program their 18” by 18” robots.
The FIRST Championship is a culminating, international event for youth robotics competition season and an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or the community as educators work to prepare young people for the future.
The RoBovines team is made of six 4-H members from three different school districts: Henry LaBarge and Owen Fleury from Ballston Spa; Ethan Stone and Corin Gordon from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake; and Norah Hoke and Ethan Thomas from Saratoga Springs. The youth range from 6th to 10th grade, and four of them are rookies are on the team.
In addition to winning the robot game, The RoBovines won the 3rd Place Inspire Award in a competition that hosted 28 of the best teams in New York State (not including NYC and Long Island) The Inspire Award is given to the team that best embodies all the FIRST values; the team works hard to connect with community, and they are proud to be recognized for that.
RoBovines is now in fundraising mode to pay for the five-day FIRST Championship being held in Houston. On April 2, at the Saratoga County 4-H Training Center, there will be a full day of fundraising including a bottle drive, pancake breakfast, garage sale, and spaghetti dinner.
Stay tuned to www.funding.robovines.org or visit the team’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/robovines). The team is also accepting donations through GoFundMe.
