Vex Robotics Regionals Draws 50+ Teams to MCCTC

CANFIELD, Ohio — More than 50 high school and middle school teams are gathering at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center today for the Regional VEX Robotics tournament.

The tournament draws 59 high school teams from 17 districts throughout Ohio, as well as four middle school teams, who will compete from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the largest robotics tournament MCCTC has ever hosted, according to a press release.

Local teams competing include; Beaver Local, East Palestine, Austintown, Leetonia, MCCTC, South Range, Struthers and Valley STEM.

During the competition, teams will compete with computer-generated alliance partners to outscore their opponents in timed matches. The overall winning alliance will earn a spot in the State Championship Tournament in Marion, Ohio.

“I love seeing what the students are able to create with this program,” Walter Baber, MCCTC engineering and robotics instructor, said in the release. “Students entering into my high school engineering program often lack problem-solving and creative thinking skills. This competition is the ultimate problem-solving challenge. It is 100% student-driven and requires them to find out what does not work well before they find out what does. By the end of their first year in this program, they are able to tackle complex problems with much more confidence and most importantly, are no longer afraid to fail while they learn.”

In addition to the tournament, teams will also be competing for other awards based on how well they have documented their team’s journey this season in their Engineering Notebooks.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.