BLACKSBURG, Va. – Thirty teams from across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. are competing this weekend at Blacksburg High School in a regional robotics competition — and organizers say the real goal goes beyond winning.
The event, held in the school’s gym, centers on what participants call “co-opetition” — a blend of competition and cooperation that encourages teams to help one another succeed.
“It’s a competition, but it works best when everyone works together for the event to be a success,” said Michael Collver, the robotics program lead teacher. “And so that trickles down for the teams — help other teams be a success.”
That spirit shows up in how teams treat one another on the floor.
“Everybody knows what it’s like to have something break on your robot, and being able to help other teams through that is really satisfying,” said Brennen Dovie, a Blacksburg High senior and the team’s outreach and awards director.
Reece Masri, a Christiansburg High senior and team captain, said helping a rival team feels like a win of its own. “It makes us feel good that we’re able to help them compete their hardest. But also it just feels good for us to be able to say, hey, we helped you.”
More than robots: Students build skills for the workforce
Beyond the technical challenge of designing and building robots, the competition gives students a chance to practice the soft skills employers look for — communication, professionalism, and the ability to hold their own in an interview.
“They’re getting interviewed and talking to judges through both days of the competition,” said Farish Perlman, the event manager. “You’re really learning that other piece of how to represent not only yourself but your team and being able to have those higher-level conversations with adults.”
Students say those experiences are already paying off.
“Not only has doing this improved my public speaking skills and allowed me to do interviews, but it’s also built up my technical skills to allow me to present a very good resume,” Masri said.
Serena Savla, a Blacksburg High junior and team co-design lead, said the connection to real-world industry is part of what makes the competition valuable. “We actually get to talk to employers and tell them about what we’re making. It’s really similar to what they do sometimes.”
Collver said that kind of hands-on problem-solving is something a classroom alone cannot replicate. “It’s one thing for a student to demonstrate on paper or in some academic setting their understanding of a concept, but to be able to solve what to them is a real-world problem — that makes all the difference in the world.”
The final day of competition begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Blacksburg High School. Admission is free, and organizers say children will have the opportunity to try hands-on activities and see the competition up close.
“I love the teams and seeing how excited they are to show what they’ve built, how they build it, talk about it,” Perlman said. “It’s just such a great experience.”
You can find more information on the event here.