Young Scientists Shine at Stock Show and Rodeo Junior Robotics Competition

SAN ANGELO, TX – Amidst the stock show and the rodeo festivities, technology showcased the robotics Monday morning at the Auto Wrangler Livestock Pavilion, 200 W. 43rd St. Over 100 teams competed in the 2^nd Annual Junior Robotics Arena Competition hosted by the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.

“We thought it would just be a really good opportunity for kids who normally don’t get to see the rodeo to come out here and enjoy the midway, enjoy some of the performances and compete in this competition,” said Lenny Christo, superintendent of the event.

The competitors ranged from third graders to seniors in high school from school districts, 4-H Clubs and FFA groups from across Texas. Students were tasked with building and programming robots that could complete the challenge without interference. Every robot must be pre-programmed and can overcome any obstacles it encounters while completing the challenge.

Teams prepare months ahead to ensure they are ready for this competition as well as district and state meets. The challenge changes every year so schools must be ready for any scenario.

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“We took our own time to build it and it's special to us since we worked on it,” said Ty McConn, a middle schooler from Early ISD. “We have been working on it for months now, but the building process didn't take very long; its programing, that takes forever.”

Tammi Hull, an Early Middle School Sponsor, said,“They are very passionate about what they do. They take a lot of ownership in their robots.”

Sponsors are tasked with guiding their students and ensuring they follow every rule of the competition. During the contest, students are not able to reach out to their sponsors for help.

For the Glenn Middle School Robotics Team, competing in the competition was a bit challenging with the timing of the event. In order to participate in this competition, they had approximately two weeks to build another robot to bring to the contest. Their previous robot had won the district meet and will be competing at the state level in May.

Overall, these competitions allow students to develop their skills and knowledge in the STEM fields.

“I just like building things and like how it is free for all,” said Miguel Flores-Acton, a student at Glenn Middle School. “You get to build whatever you want and you don't have very many limitations.”

Stanley Ratcliffe, a Science teacher at Glenn Middle School, said.“We always want to get the kids thinking at that very highest level and this [robotics] keeps them there.” 

The competition began at 10:00 a.m. in the livestock pavilion in the same arena where other students have shown their livestock in the previous shows last week. As parents sat in the stands supporting their children, the students watched with anticipation as their robots competed with other schools. 

Note: Mr.Lenny Christo's name was misspelled previously and has been corrected.