Local robots have competed their way to big tournaments.

I.J. Holton Intermediate School VEX Robotics Team 8440C made it to the World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, and I.J. Holton VEX Robotics Team 8440B made it to the VEX U.S. Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“I feel the success of these students proves to me that we can do anything at I.J. Holton,” I.J. Holton coach and teacher Kaylene Jensen said. “And I believe those kids took those words and they demonstrated it to be true.”

Team 8440C received second place and the Energy Award for its extraordinary enthusiasm at the Dream It. Do It. State Minnesota VEX Robotics Tournament in St. Cloud Jan. 29 and 30, which qualified them to go to world’s where they will compete against the top 150 teams in the world from April 20 to 23. During the competition, teams recruit and select other teams to form Alliance Teams. In the final competition, teams compete as an alliance group of three teams. Holton Team 8440C was sought out as a strong alliance candidate due to the team’s high points scored in preliminary rounds. Holton’s Team 8440C Alliance Team placed second in the final competition.

Team 8440B made it to the U.S. Open on Jan. 16 at the Riverland Community College tournament, where they were the programming champion. The team will compete against the top 100 teams in the United States from April 7 to 9.

Jensen said the students are excited but did not expect the wins.

“They’re blown away,” she said. “There is just this energy in our building, just excitement.”

Though the teams received the invitation to attend the competitions, the work isn’t finished. Along with practicing, the teams will have to raise the money to attend the competitions. The robotics clubs are not funded through the schools, so the teams will need to raise their own funds to make the fairly expensive trips.

“We are going to have to work very, very hard to support these students to get there,” Jensen said.

Funding for the regular season comes from a variety of places, including community donations, local businesses that sponsor the teams, and possibly a grant. These do not include big awards or transportation, though, and Jensen hopes to find some innovative ways to raise the funds.

“Our goal right now is to raise as much as $20,000 to get these kids there,” Jensen said.

The teams are looking for any way to fundraise for the tournaments. Whether it’s car washes or shoveling driveways, they hope to raise the money.

“For some of these kids, this will be a game-changer. … This will impact their education and life choices, I believe,” Jensen said. “It’s offering an opportunity that students wouldn’t normally have if they weren’t a part of this team and worked so hard to win these awards this year.”

“We’re really going to be relying on our community to make sure the hard work of these students isn’t overlooked,” she added.

Individuals or groups interested in financially supporting these teams as they move to the U.S. Open and World competitions may contact Jensen at I.J. Holton School, 507-460-1525 or visit their Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/afmh6yrh.

Seventy middle and high school teams competed in the state tournament, including all three I.J. Holton teams, two Ellis Middle School teams, two Austin Home teams and one Southland Public Schools team.

Overall, I.J. Holton team 8440A ranked 27th out of 70, 8440B ranked 39th out of 70, and 8440C ranked second place out of 70 at the state competitions.

Ellis also makes the cut

Both Ellis Middle School teams were also invited to the U.S. Open competition this year. The eighth-grade team received the invitation in January, and the seventh-grade team received the invitation in November; however, due to a registration glitch, the seventh-grade team is on a waiting list but will most likely get to compete.

Coach and teacher Tom Fritz said the teams didn’t do as well as they’d hoped at the state competition, as there were some mechanical things that broke down for each team.

“At state they did OK, they didn’t do as well as they were expecting,” he said.

“But they continued to work through the problems and finished strong,” he added.

The seventh-grade team came in 32nd place out of 70 teams, and the eighth-grade team came in 53rd place.

The teams will also look for ways to fundraise for the big trips, through sponsorships, community donations and fundraisers.

Other teams

Southland coach Paula Mortenson said her team had a few tough rounds but regrouped and ended in the middle, missing the finals and ending in 45th place out of 70 teams.

“Although we wanted to make the final rounds, the students and I learned so much and are excited to work towards improving next year,” she wrote in an email to the Herald. “I am so proud of these students!”

Austin home teams Furious George, team 8091B ranked fifth out of 70, which Austin home coach Arik Andersen said was a tough win as the team competed against the 70 best teams in Minnesota.

“They had a simple idea and their robot worked fast and efficiently all day,” he wrote in an email to the Herald. “They lost in the first round of the playoffs.”

The other team, 8091, worked through some technical problems through out the day and ranked 64th. As this team was the first pick of the third alliance, they were able to compete and lost in the second round of the playoffs.

“I was very pleased with how both teams worked together,” Andersen wrote. “We shared our pits, tools, batteries, and cheered each other on. I really believe that the result of both teams working together was much greater than the result we would have had if the teams had worked separately.”