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Metal Minds wrap up robotics season at state competition

East Grand robotics competitors Luke Vecchiarelli, Luke Peters and Steffi O’Flaherty await their turn in the tournament square during state robotics action last Saturday.
Lance Maggart / Sky-Hi News |

It has been a big year for East Grand Middle School’s competition robotics team and their banner first season wrapped up last weekend with the state robotics competition, held at Regis University in Denver.

The Metal Minds, the team’s official competition name, ended up finishing 25th out of 30 teams at the state meet, a remarkable achievement given the team’s novice status and youth. Out of the 30 teams competing at state only two teams, including East Grand, were made up entirely of middle school students with most teams populated with high school competitors with multiple years of experience on the competition circuit.

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work that our team put into their robot and each competition,” Missy Quinn, one of two East Grand robotics team coaches, stated. “The fact that we were able to compete in the state competition in our rookie year is an incredible success!”



State meet action got going Saturday morning as hundreds of competitors and spectators filed into the Regis University Field House where event organizers and judges were waiting for student competitors. The kids from East Grand competed in five rounds over the course of the day and shifted between 20th and 25th place as the state meet wore on.

The East Grand School Board recognized the Metal Minds during a board of education meeting Tuesday night for their outstanding performance this year on the competition circuit.


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