The Arizona Interscholastic Association recognizes robotics as a sport in Arizona! We were lucky enough to have been chosen to be present when they made the announcement. We also got to deliver the game ball and the silver dollar for the coin toss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9BV5gW92jc&feature=youtu.be
How do you like that Dean and Woodie?AZ became the second state after Minnesota to do this! Its nice that AZ is not last for a change in something! There is nothing wrong with your sound there was no sound with the video. There was idle chit chat so I decided not to put it.
Extremely honored to have been chosen to be there for this!
Congrats you guys!
Very nice! Congratulations.
Great job!! Keep up the success through the season because I cant wait to see another great robot from falcon robotics.
Congrats!
Congrats, AZ!
Maybe someday I won’t be laughed at for calling robotics a sport. Someday…
Is that an inside joke?
Awesome news!
Just to clarify, we did not have anything to do with robotics becoming a sport other than advocating for it like many other teams in AZ did. We were asked to be present during the announcement and were very honored to do so. Science Foundation Arizona is the group that made this possible with the AIA.
We are near last in student expenditure, we are ranked near last in education, near last in adopting MLK as a holiday… its nice to be high up in rank for something nice for a change…
That’s cool. Is this the first step to organizing a state championship like Minnesota? What benefits does this come with?
I looked a little bit into doing this in the state of Oregon with our local sports sanctioning group (the OSAA) but I wasn’t sure that I should since the benfits were unclear and they had some extra rules that you had to comply with. I’d love to hear your experience both with how this benefits teams and how hard the process was.
MORE ROBOTS!!!
ROBOTS EVERYWHERE!!!
Congrats AZ! Maybe this will help more state high school leagues realize that this truly is a sport!
Is the title of this thread correct? Did “robotics” become a sport, or did the AIA decide to sanction a state tournament for FRC? There is a big difference. FRC is just a single program among many.
“Robotics”, in this context, encompasses a broad spectrum of inspirational and educational programs supplying a wide variety of opportunities to students (with/without school involvement) with diverse financial, organizational, educational support/backgrounds.
If anyone gets a chance, please inform the AIA, and the people of Arizona, about all of the “robotics” opportunities they have to do good for their communities.
Don’t fall into the trap of FRC tunnel-vision. Instead, perhaps, celebrate this announcement as the first of what will hopefully be many more (for FTC, VRC, FLL, VIQ, BEST, Botball, etc.)???
Blake
This is wicked cool! Is this mostly a “symbolic” victory, or does it confer some sort of specific benefits to robotics teams in the state (i.e. the can hang banners in gyms, have access to more school facilities, easier funding process etc.)?
Congratulations to the parties involved!
Congratulations! now to get it recognized:D in every state!
So far, I only know that we will be able to get varsity letters and jackets. Other than that, I am not sure.
The state of Connecticut, though the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association) has also recognized Robotics as a high school sport:
http://www.firstct.org/news-events/ciac-state-robotics-championship/
I found this article that makes it sound like its only FRC and not all robotics.
From this and what happened with UIL in Texas this summer it seems like HQ is lobbying state interscholastic leagues to make FRC tournaments like MN has.
It is only FRC. The FTC side hasn’t heard a thing from them.