Fitch robotics team going national

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Neighbors | Submitted.The Falcotech Robotics team finished second at the Queen City Regional Competition April 4 in Cincinnati. The team was presented with the regional finalist award along with the Industrial Design Award, sponsored by General Motors.

The Falcotech Robotics team finished second in the Queen City Regional Competition April 4 to earn a spot at the national event in St. Louis.

The event featured 57 teams from all over the United States and Canada, as well as a team from Brazil. The Falcotech team was presented with the regional finalist award, along with the Industrial Design Award, sponsored by General Motors.

Mike Mellott and Ric Zimmerman worked together to create the FIRST robotics team at Fitch High School — Falco Tech Robotics — in 2009, introducing a group of students to an essential field of study and expanding their opportunities for learning.

FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is a not-for-profit organization that holds robotics competitions all over the country, offering more college scholarships to participants each year.

Mellott and Zimmerman have spent countless hours helping this team think creatively about technical, financial and logistical issues that they faced in their quest to compete in FIRST competitions over the past three years.

Along with Booster Club President Andy Yantes, the team raised money for the six-week project that involved designing, building and operating a robot that could shoot a basketball accurately to score points in a three-on-three basketball competition and two competitive trips to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.