In 2015, I started the Sharks Robotics program at Sugar Creek Elementary School, Fort Mill, South Carolina. I was also the coach for all eleven teams.
Sharks Robotics is an elementary VEX IQ program at Sugar Creek Elementary School. It is open to students in grade 4 and 5, as well as select 3rd graders. During the year-long program, students work in small teams to design, build, program, and compete VEX IQ robots.
In its inaugural year, Sharks Robotics had 54 members split into 11 teams. Teams met once a week after school for an hour on either Mondays or Tuesdays. In February 2015, Sugar Creek hosted the Sugar Creek VEX IQ State Qualifier competition for South Carolina. Students competed in the VEX IQ Bankshot Challenge. Two Sharks Robotics teams (Teams 11008-A and 11008-F) qualified for the South Carolina VEX IQ Championship in Lexington, South Carolina. Sharks Robotics represented the only elementary school program in attendance.
In our most recent VEX IQ season (2017-2018), Sharks Robotics includes 62 teams members and managers split into 10 teams. We competed in the Jingle Phoenix Challenge in North Charleston, SC and the Sugar Creek VEX IQ State Qualifier. The Sugar Creek Qualifier that we hosted, had 40 teams present including both elementary and middle school teams. Through qualifying awards, 9 teams earned invitations to the Palmetto Partners VEX IQ State Championship and 1 team (Team 11008-A) earned an invitation to the CREATE US Open in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the State Championship, 3 Sharks Robotics teams (Team 11008-A, 11008-H, and 11008-K) earned invitations to attend the VEX IQ Elementary World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.