The maiden VEX Robotics League held in Michigan was hosted by Grandville RoboDawgs. The state’s maiden VEX robotics league was started by 24 teams from West Michigan schools.
The event was held at the Grandville Robotics & Engineering Center, situated on the south campus of Grandville High School. The event saw participation from teams from Grandville, Belding, and Grand Rapids Schools.
According to Chuck Parks, president of Custom Electronics and manager of the West Michigan VEX League, a major step ahead in the manner in which robotics incorporates into the education of high school and middle school students has been marked with the beginning of this latest League.
Every week, two competition dates are scheduled by the West Michigan VEX League. The final of the league championship has been scheduled for Saturday, January 5 in Grandville. Normal weekly play between area schools, very similar to any other university sport, is featured by this league-play arrangement.
In a statement, Chuck Parks said, “This really changes the game. Unlike any other robotic competition, these kids get to compete against other schools every week – and then go home and upgrade their robot’s hardware and programming. This competition format supports a real-life model for continuous improvement.”
An area spanning from Ionia to Holland and Dowagiac to Traverse City is covered by the West Michigan VEX League. A minimum of 20 public and charter school teams are a part of the inaugural league.
The latest league has been arranged by the Grandville High School RoboDawgs. The school has recently unveiled its Robotics & Engineering Center in order to intensify its efforts for further exposing its students to the fields of science and technology.
Ron Caniff, superintendent of Grandville Public Schools said, “This robotics program and the new robotics league are shining examples of things that our public schools are doing to excite and educate our students in the science and technology areas.”
VEX Robotics is one of the finest budding robotics competitions worldwide, especially for middle school and high school students. VEX, with financial backing from the Robotics Competition and Education Foundation, unveils a unique challenge every spring, with this year’s competition titled “Sack Attack.”
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Edited by
Brooke Neuman
