Best Robotics Teams in Minnesota Compete in St. Cloud [PHOTOS]

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Nearly 200 of the best K-12 robotics teams in Minnesota competed in St. Cloud over the weekend.

The 13th annual Vex Robotics State Tournament was held at the River’s Edge Convention Center Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Teams from all over central Minnesota competed at the tournament coming from Albany, Brainerd, Cold Spring, Collegeville, Kimball, Long Prairie, Princeton, Richmond, Royalton, Sartell, Sauk Rapids-Rice, St. Cloud, and St. Joseph.

The first two days featured middle and high school VRC teams going head-to-head in this year’s game called Spin Up. The goal of the game is to score points by throwing pucks into a disc golf-like net in the corner of the board within the time limit.

The number of points varies depending on where the discs land. Sixty teams participated in the high school competition and another 60 competed in the middle school portion of the event.

The tournament wrapped up Saturday with the elementary and middle school Vex IQ competitions which are cooperative rather than head-to-head. This year’s game is called Slapshot and requires teams to build a robot that can free and collect pucks from two different starting rigs and shoot them hockey-style into the scoring section of the board within the time limit.

The number of points varies based on where the pucks land in the scoring zones. Fifty teams participated in the elementary competition and another 26 competed at the middle school level.

The event serves as a qualifier for the Vex World Championships which will be held in April in Dallas, Texas.

Elementary Vex IQ Results:

Kimball IQ Program:

the roBots - Team competition: 4th place - Skills competition: 8th place - Energy Award

The Red Roly Polys - Team competition: 9th place

Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Elementary:

IDK - Team competition: 12th place - Skills competition: 10th place

Prince of Peace Lutheran School - St. Cloud:

Technical Advantage - Team competition: 7th place

Princeton Intermediate School:

Green Eyed Demons - Sportsmanship Award

Fire Turtles - Team competition: 10th place

Riverview Intermediate School - Sartell:

DaBoys - Team competition: 6th place

ROCORI Elementary Robotics Club:

Rocori Cyborg - Team competition: 12th place

Saints Peter and Paul School - Richmond:

The Mighty Vexes - Team competition: 4th place - Judges Award

Creepers - Team competition: 11th place

Westwood Elementary - St. Cloud:

E-Steins - Team competition: 9th place

Middle School Vex IQ Results:

Central Minnesota Youth Robotics - St. Cloud:

Three Amigos (Four-time World Qualifier) - Team competition: 1st place - Skills competition: 1st place - Teamwork Champion Award - Robot Skills Champion - Judges Award

St. Cloud (not otherwise specified):

Bot-Steins - Energy Award

Middle School Vex Robotics Competition Results:

Boy Scout Troop 211 - Sartell:

Black Pearl - Skills competition: 10th place

Kimball Secondary:

Dynamic Energy (World Qualifier) - Skills competition: 9th place - Tournament Finalists

North Junior High School:

Just Toast - Team competition: 7th place

The Atomic Pickles - Team competition: 5th place

Princeton Middle School:

Cannibalistic Candy (World Qualifier) - Skills competition: 3rd place - Innovate Award

The Really Cool People - Team competition: 3rd place - Skills competition:  4th place

ROCORI Middle School:

Sparta’s Supreme (World Qualifier) - Think Award

Sparta’s Warriors - Skills competition: 8th place - Judges Award

South Junior High School:

Tiger Epsilon (World Qualifier) - Tournament Finalists

Tiger Kappa (World Qualifier) - Tournament Finalists

High School Vex Robotics Competition Results:

Apollo High School:

Peculiar Platipy - Energy Award

Kimball Secondary:

Men in Black (World Qualifier) - Skills competition: 9th place - Think Award

Senior Smarties - Inspire Award

Princeton High School:

Four Horsemen (World Qualifier) - Innovate Award

Stearns County 4-H Robot-X Club - Albany:

C-Botz - Team competition: 5th place - Skills competition: 6th place

Tech High School:

Tigris ex Machina (World Qualifier) - Design Award