"Louisville trying to steal robotics competition from St. Louis" Article

[Hallry]

This article was posted here yesterday (9/6/13):

Louisville trying to steal robotics competition from St. Louis

Louisville has put in a bid on a high school robotics championship that could generate an economic impact of more than $16 million and draw more than 30,000 people to the city.

In the FIRST Robotics Competition, teams of high school students from around the world vie against each other to built a 120-pound robot capable of completing a specified task.

The competition is sponsored by a Manchester, N.H.-based nonprofit called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, according to its website.

Louisville has submitted a bid to host the competition in 2015, 2016 and 2017, according to Jim Wood, president and CEO of the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The city is competing against Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and St. Louis, where the event currently is held.

A decision is expected by the end of September, Wood said.

“We’ve done everything we can,” he said. “Now, we’re sitting back and waiting for them to sort through all the information.”

He called the competition “a very big deal” and “a media darling.”

Students in the past have been required to build robots capable of shooting basketballs, throwing frisbees and performing other assignments.

Did anyone know that Louisville (or Detroit for that matter) was bidding?