Victory At Granite City Sends Local Team To World Stage

The Sartell-St. Stephen robotics team is headed to the World Championship.  Sartell-St. Stephen teamed up with teams from St. Michael-Albertville and Bloomington to win the Granite City Regional last Saturday.

Win Granite City Regional

Ryan Swanson is the head coach of Sabre Robotics.  He says this was the 3rd annual Granite City regional and this is the 2nd time they've been able to win the event.  Swanson says their team advanced to the finals where they beat a team from Pequot Lakes, ROCORI and Fargo.  Swanson says this event is the 8th most competitive event in the world.

Going to Houston, Texas

600 teams from around the world will compete in the World Championship in Houston, Texas at the end of this month.  The team leaves for Houston on April 29 and is expected to return May 3.   Swanson says he believes they are bringing their most competitive robot and can compete with the best in the world.

Partners

The Sartell-St. Stephen Robotics team has numerous partners that help make it possible for them to make the trip.  Swanson says their partners include Niron Magnetics and Dezurik and long with lots of community support.  He says each student is trying to raise $1,300 to fund their trip to Nationals.   Learn more at Sabre Robotics School funder.   Swanson says the school covers the $6,000 team entry fee but students need to cover their travel costs.

Estimated Cost

Swanson says they project to need $45,000 to cover all costs related to the World Championship.  He says they are well on their way to achieving their final goal but could always use more help.  Sartell-St. Stephen robotics has advanced to the World Championships 3 of the last 4 years.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Ryan Swanson, click below.