During the recent Robotics competition that was held at Rolla High School, all three Rolla teams, 4964, 6168, and 5893, qualified for the State Competition. The competition, held on January 3, was the first competition that had been held at Rolla High School. Started by the three teams to reduce the amount of teams that attended each of the competitions and give other teams a more local competition to attend, the competition was a huge success yielding 29 teams from all over Missouri.

  The competition was seen as a way to not only give many teams a chance to qualify, but also to expose many students and parents within Rolla to the FIRST Robotics Program and give students a chance to learn more about robotics and maybe join one of the three teams.

  The competition drew around 1400 people (including the team members) and provided a large section of time for NHS members to acquire their hours. The competition was also a major source of revenue for the three teams who, as always, are strapped for cash. The idea has been expressed that the competition becomes an annual event used as outreach for the three FIRST teams and a source of funding for the teams who hope to go to Super Regionals now that they have qualified for the Missouri State Competition.