Trio of local 7th graders prepare for Robotics World Championship | WJHL
Photo courtesy of Johnson City Schools
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A trio of seventh graders from Indian Trail Middle School are preparing for the Vex Robotics World Championship with a celebration.
Mushabbar Raza, Byron Eisenzopf and Sam Quaintance confirmed their spot in the world championship after earning second place in the state competition held in Brentwood earlier last month. Their robot was called “We Still Don’t Have a Name.”
Quaintance said the team enjoys problem-solving together.
The trio has learned about robotic design, coding and more. STEM teacher and robotics coach Dr. Carlton Lyon and science teacher Misty Davis mentor the group.
“We are immensely proud of Byron, Mushabbar, and Sam,” Dr. Lyon said. “Their hard work, perseverance, and passion for robotics have been truly inspiring to witness.”
Raza said he is eager to meet other robotics competitors.
“My main goal is just to have a good time and talk to people from other places,” Raza said. “It’s kind of cool to be able to talk to someone who’s had completely different experiences and I get to see how they see things and also just to see how their year has been.”
Robotics competitions progress like tournaments. Each team must score points by collaborating with other competitors’ robots. Competitors are not allowed to consult coaches or mentors during gameplay. The trio relied on their skills and teamwork to lead them to the world championship.
“Whenever we first got there, we were pretty intimidated by the other teams,” said Eisenzopf. “We just did the best we could and got higher in qualifying than we thought.”
Raza said the trio is proud of their accomplishments.
The Vex Robotics World Championship will kick off on Thursday in Dallas, Texas. Visit the 2024 World Championship Homepage to learn more about the competition.
