ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Watching a pair of robots move around a practice competition mat, Morgan Gruszka and the rest of the Geared-Up Scorpions team were formulating their strategy for the 2025 Wisconsin Vex V5 State Championship.
“I love pretty much everything about it,” said Gruszka, who is from Neenah. “Since I was little, I’ve always loved doing robotics and engineering. This is a lot of fun for me.”
On Sunday, Geared-Up Scorpions and more than 80 other middle and elementary school teams were vying for top honors at the event. Competition was just one element.
“You get to collaborate with other teams,” Gruszka said. “It’s a lot of fun, especially for those who love engineering and want to do a lot of robotics when they’re older and STEM.”
Robotics teams have grown exponentially around the state over the past 15 years. The state competition hosted about 145 qualifying teams over three days this weekend.
“These students literally start with a box of parts, and they have to build a robot, design it, program it and drive it,” said Nathan Nolte, president of Fox Valley Competitive Robotics. “Every year the game changes, so they are doing a new robot for a new game every year.”
The event is supported by Wisconsin-based businesses, like Oshkosh Corporation. That’s where Mike Peotter is a senior program manager.
“What we really want is for young individuals in the community to know that there are great jobs locally. They don’t have to transfer all over the U.S.” he said. “It’s something where we can find and hone their skills right here in their backyard.”
Looking ahead another 10 to 15 years, Gruszka said he could be working with and evolving new technologies.
“When I’m older, I could see myself doing something with robotic engineering and AI, possibly,” Gruszka said.
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