"GearHeads" Robotics Team Heads to Region 4 VEX IQ Middle School Championship

Posted: January 24, 2023

Four San Antonio Academy robotics teams competed at the VEX IQ Kaleo Frosty Qualifier Tournament held in Universal City on Saturday, January 21. It was a battle of the bots as the boys went up against 21 private, charter, and homeschool teams in the day-long competition, some traveling as far as Houston and Kerrville to attend the event. The Frosty Qualifier Tournament qualifies teams for the 2023 Region 4 VEX IQ Middle School Championship scheduled for March 5 in Hutto, TX.

This was the first time SAA has participated in this competition. In addition to their robot's  performance, each team was judged on their engineering notebook, teamwork, and sportsmanship. As four rookie teams, they all had a great time and gained a lot of experience along the way. 
 

"All teams had a blast! It was super fun and they all learned a tremendous amount (including their coaches)," said SAA Robotics teacher, Cathy Baumgartner. "Many of the guys were excited to come back and compete again next year now that they have had some experience and understand the competition and process better."

We are pleased to announce that one of the four teams, the "GearHeads," did particularly well on the "skills challenge" portion of the competition, qualifying them for a spot at the Region 4 Championship.
 

The GearHeads Team:

• Josiah O.
• Ford A.
• Holden D.
• Peter Z.

Thank you to our robotics teachers, Cathy Baumgartner and Tyna Powers, for working with our boys to get them competition-ready, and a big shout-out to all the parents that volunteered their time, effort, and support at the Frosty Qualifier!