Four Lafayette Parish Teams in Robotics Challenge on Saturday March 23, 2013

You probably know where your high school football team finished their season and which school has a baseball player that might be drafted, but do you know where the game inventors, web designers, astronauts, marketing experts and engineers who will shape our future are coming from? The next 'Big Thing' might be created or sold by one of the young people participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition from our local schools!

Lafayette Parish has produced four teams which are competing in the Bayou Regional on Saturday, March 23rd in Kenner. They're from Comeaux High School, Acadiana High School, Carencro High School and the David Thibodaux STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy. The FIRST Robotics Competition is one part of a mission to help young people become science and technology leaders through a program that builds self-confidence, communication and leadership. And I'm a volunteer!

Over fifty teams from Louisiana and Mississippi are involved in the Bayou Regional and four are from Lafayette Parish. These tournaments are as exciting as any hockey or football game you've ever watched! Winners continue to the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, April 24-17 and over 800 scholarships and $16 MILLION for college available to FIRST participants!

This year's competition is called 'Ultimate Ascent.' The students have built robots which will throw discs (basically, frisbees) into goals to score points. Check it out here. 

Our teams are:

Robodogs, David Thibodeaux STEM Academy

Ramageddon, Acadiana High School

Team Phenomena, Comeaux High School (alliance with students from several other area schools)

Crobots, Carencro High School

How can you support these students?

• You can volunteer as a mentor, become a sponsor, or help spread the word about what these kids are doing! Click here.
• You can follow the matches with the FRC Spyder app, for Google Play or iPhone.
• Ask about it at your child's school. There are programs for grades K-12, beginning with the Jr. Lego League. Click here.
• If you are a student, join your school's team- the teams include writers, web designers, public relations and marketing, spirit and more!