SPEAR-IT VEX Robotics teams, 855 & 855B to Nationals and Beyond!

Nowadays, with Robotics becoming a very relevant field of study for now and in the future, we are thrilled to be able to host both a middle school and high school homeschooling team who is really dedicated to learning all about the inner workings of how to design a robot to complete a mission.

It was an exhilarating moment on Saturday the 6th of February 2016 when the efforts of both SPEAR-IT teams 855 and 855B resulted in them achieving the highest award of the VEX League championship, The Excellence award!

Both teams also earned the programming skills award, with the Middle school team receiving the honor of tournament finalists as well. We are grateful for the entire team at the College of Southern Maryland who facilitated the event.

What now?

Both teams are qualified to compete in both States and a National competition which is called "C.R.E.A.T.E" and occurs clear across the country in Council Bluffs, Iowa!

It will require quite a bit of money to get the teams, their coaches, their equipment and their families there. That's where your help comes in, but first, allow me to share what the Excellence Award is about, and why our teams have received this honor. I have taken the explanation below from the VEX Competition guide...

Excellence Award: Top All Around Team (Robot Performance & Judged)

This is the highest award presented in the VEX Robotics Competition. The recipient of this award is a team
that exemplifies overall excellence in building a well-rounded VEX robotics program. This team excels in
many areas and is a shining example of dedication, devotion, hard work and teamwork. As a strong
contender in numerous award categories, this team deserves to be recognized for building a quality robot
and a “team” committed to quality in everything that they do.

Teams are given points towards the Excellence Award in the following categories:

• Tournament Qualification Round Ranking
• Programming Skills Challenge Ranking
• Robot Skills Challenge Ranking
• Judged performance in all other award categories

Using this wide range of criteria, the Excellence Award will be presented to the team who excels in all areas
of VEX Robotics.

Please help us continue to create a quality program by allowing these young people to continue to compete and gain even more experience in this fascinating field by donating any amount to help us meet our goal of $8,500. This will go towards our traveling expenses and any other needs towards improving our robots and our program.

We thank you in advance and will keep you up to date with our accomplishments!