It was quite the debut season for the Volcano Vista robotics team.
Founded this year by computer science teacher Cathy Alvarado, the team won the VEX Robotics Competition league championship in February and advanced to the state tournament. 
At the VEX Robotics Competition, a game called “Tipping Point” is played.
It takes place on a 12-foot by 12-foot square field with two alliances – one blue and one red – composed of two teams each. The teams compete in matches consisting of a 15-second autonomous period, followed by a 1:45 driver-controlled period.
The object is to score more points than the opposition by scoring rings, moving mobile goals to alliance zones, and by elevating on platforms at the end of the match.
The Volcano Vista robotics team features 14 students competing against 25 other teams in the league. After winning the league championship, the RoboHawks competed in the state tournament on March 5 at Cibola High School and finished 11th out of 27 teams.
“We were so excited,” Alvarado said. “We had so much fun.”
