Santana Robotics Club Builds Up to First Competition This Weekend

A team of technologically inclined teens from takes on the competition this weekend at the FIRST Robotics Competition being held at the Valley View Casino Center (formerly known as San Diego Sports Arena) March 2-4. The doors will open at 8 a.m., entrance is free and the public is encouraged to come support the Sultans.

The winner of the event will head to the national championship in St. Louis later this year- which would be a great prize for this team competing for the first time.

The Santana club has been working hard on their creation since January, when they were tasked with creating a robot that can shoot baskets as the challenge for this year's competition.

The competition's website describes the game: "Imagine combining the action of a major sporting event such as football and the rhythm of a rock and roll concert, but with a mechanical engineering twist."

Besides sounding awesome- I mean the only thing cooler would be the robots fighting each other- the students are teamed with professional engineers and learn a lot that can be applied toward their future.

This year's game is "Rebound Rumble." Played by two competing Alliances on a flat, 27 x 54 foot field, each Alliance consists of three robots competing to shoot as many basketballs into their hoops as they can during a 2 minute and 15 second match. The higher the hoop in which the basketball is scored, the more points the Alliance receives.

A if you can't make it out, but still want to see some cool robotic action.

"The San Diego Regional FIRST Robotics Competition is open to the public and is free to all. Bring your parents, friends, teachers, principals, and people that work in the many fields of Science, Technology, and Engineering to enjoy this great event. Come on by to see all the action and cheer on our future technology leaders."