MONTE VISTA— More than 30 youth from southern Colorado participated in the RoboRAVE Colorado youth robotics competition on Saturday, April 6 at Monte Vista High School in Monte Vista. This contest, hosted by the San Luis Valley 4-H Robotics program, offered participants the opportunity to compete for prizes in four different events. Local competitors from the San Luis Valley performed strongly in all of the challenges.
San Luis Valley 4-H members Asah Hanna and Shasta Liu took home first place in the a-MAZE-ing event. In this event, teams build and program a robot that can navigate an elevated maze.  Maya Cordero and Makaio Estrada, also from San Luis Valley 4-H, finished second. Jaxson Frazee, Maddox Gourley, Hudson Gourley and Slade Chenoweth from Baca County 4-H came in third.
In the Alpine Bot event, San Luis Valley 4-Her Tyler Bartee took home first place. In this event, youth engineer a robot that can climb a 45 degree slope up to a table top, where they plant a flag.
In the Sumobot event, Baca County 4-H members Jaxson Frazee, Maddox Gourley, Hudson Gourley and Slade Chenoweth won first place, besting six competitors in the final tournament. In this event, teams build bots that can push other teams out of the competition ring. Max Hunt from Chaffee County 4-H finished second. Liam Griffin and Mayleigh Blount from San Luis Valley 4-H took home third.
In the Line Follow event Chaffee County 4-H members Evelyn Hachmann and Josiah Wertz took home first place. In this event, teams program a robot to follow a line through a complicated course. Fellow Chaffee County 4-Hers Elliana Brooker and Tristan Ganskow finished second. San Luis Valley members Brice Wisener, Julie Wisener and Todd Adams finished third.
In addition to these event awards, youth were recognized for outstanding teamwork, sportsmanship, grit, and creativity.
Colorado RoboRally is a youth robotics competition for kids ages eight to 18. The event is a partnership between San Luis Valley 4-H and the Monte Vista School District.
For more information on San Luis Valley 4-H Robotics or the 4-H youth development program, visit the San Luis Valley website at http://sanluisvalley.colostate.edu, call 719-852-7381 or email [email protected]. 4-H is a cooperative effort between Colorado State University Extension and Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.