Welcome!

Welcome to St. Louis Student Robotics Association! We were inspired to form this association by the many amazing area robotics teams we have encountered, and also by similar organizations around the country. Just as a team of students can go far beyond their own expectations with good teamwork, we hope that our association of teams will help take student robotics to the next level, and make student robotics an even more important part of the St. Louis community.

Our area has been so fortunate for a number of years, to be home to the world championship of FIRST, and the footprint of this annual event has grown so large, that it has already exceeded our city's capacity. We have a unique vantage point on this phenomenon; I've personally attended the last 6 FIRST Championships, seen the exponential growth first hand, and I think it's only the beginning. A good competition provides the spark that ignites the engines of the students. A great competition fuels the engines to overcome the discouragements of a long season. I think you have seen it too.

Imagine what happens as the communities around the country and the world become more engaged with student robotics, and the competitions capture the imagination of the communities, the way a great sports season does. I lived in San Diego one year, when a local Little League team went to the Little League World Series. Before their departure, a little trading card company called Upper Deck issued a set of baseball cards featuring the team. The metro area of 2 or 3 million people followed every game of that world series. The community made the event unforgettable for the kids, and all of the great life lessons learned in Little League were thereby amplified for those kids, and for all the kids in San Diego who followed the team that summer. Learning, directly enhanced by community engagement. This is what we hope to pursue in the St. Louis area with SLSRA.