Madison High School Robotics Team Headed To World Competition

VIENNA, VA — FIRST Robotics Competition Team 620, a Madison High School robotics team, will compete on an international level after its first-ever first place district championship.

The team, also known as the Warbots, competes in the FIRST robotics competition every year. On April 9, the team won first place at the district competition, becoming the 2022 Chesapeake District Champions for the first time in school history. To earn the district championship, the team competed against others from Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia. That district win earned the team a place at the FIRST world competition.

Every year, the robotics team spends months constructing their robot for the competition. FIRST releases design guidance and rules in January, which begins the team's build season with four to five-hour daily sessions to construct their robot. Preparations begin in the fall even before competition guidelines are released, as mentors teach the team how to weld, code, build, project manage, and build a mini-bot.

Expenses to build the robot normally range from $6,000 to $12,000. To fund the robot, the robotics team fundraises throughout the year.

The FIRST Championship will be held Thursday through Saturday in Houston. According to a Madison High School news release, over 4,000 teams compete for a chance to advance to the world competition, but only a few hundred teams qualify for the world competition. Nearby Oakton High School's robotics team is also competing in the world championship.