The inaugural Southern Virginia Showdown brought 21 FIRST Robotics Competition teams from across the region to Magna Vista High School in Ridgeway on Saturday, Oct. 3, for a day of competition, teamwork and STEM innovation.
The off-season competition was organized after Spartan Robotics announced that the Blue Ridge Brawl, previously held in Salem, would no longer take place in October.
STAGS Team 1262 and other local robotics teams and partners saw an opportunity to create a new event that would allow students to compete, learn from other teams and showcase skills developed during the FIRST Robotics Competition season.
The Southern Virginia Showdown was hosted by FRC Team 1262, The STAGS; FRC Team 3258, MADAWGS; and FTC Team 21358, Shockwave Robotics, with support from West Piedmont Higher Education Center, Henry County Public Schools and FIRST Chesapeake.
“When we realized there would no longer be a Blue Ridge Brawl competition, we knew there was an opportunity to create something new for teams in our region,” said Trevor Martin, lead mentor for STAGS Team 1262 and workforce training instructor for West Piedmont Higher Education Center. “The Southern Virginia Showdown gave students another chance to compete, but just as importantly, it brought teams together and strengthened the robotics community across Southern Virginia.”
Throughout the day, students competed in robotics matches, developed strategies, troubleshot problems and adjusted their robots between rounds. The event also provided opportunities to connect with other robotics programs and gain additional competition experience.
The winning alliance consisted of Team 1533, Triple Strange; Team 3939, Botetourt 4-H Robotics; and Team 10257, Vector Space.
Volunteers from several robotics programs helped organize and operate the competition, including Shockwave Robotics of Henry County Public Schools, Red Beard Pandas of the New River Robotics Association, MADAWGS of Martinsville High School and The STAGS of West Piedmont Higher Education Center.
Experienced FIRST volunteers also traveled from across Virginia and North Carolina, with one volunteer coming from New York.
“The level of support from the robotics community was incredible,” said Joe Sumner, executive director of West Piedmont Higher Education Center and announcer for the Southern Virginia Showdown. “These volunteers gave their time to make sure students had a great experience, and their willingness to work together is exactly what we hoped this event would represent.”
Organizers said the competition demonstrated the value of partnerships among schools, robotics teams, community organizations and workforce development programs in providing students with hands-on STEM experiences.
West Piedmont Higher Education Center hopes the Southern Virginia Showdown will become an annual off-season competition, giving regional robotics teams additional opportunities to develop technical and teamwork skills.
“Events like this demonstrate what can happen when schools, teams and community partners work together,” Martin said. “We are proud to have helped launch the Southern Virginia Showdown and look forward to seeing how it grows in the years ahead.”
