The FIRST Robotics Competition's premier event in Maryland is moving to Baltimore for 2010. The Chesapeake Regional, featuring more than 1,000 high school students in 49 robotics teams from around the nation, will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center on March 11-13, 2010. The annual event has been held at the Naval Academy in Annapolis for the past seven years, and comes to Baltimore to a larger facility and a greater base of attendees, sponsors and volunteers.
"We're excited to bring the Chesapeake Regional to Baltimore," says Pattie Cook, Regional Director for FIRST in Maryland, DC and Virginia. "This event is a showcase for FIRST teams and for the city of Baltimore. Our local teams are proud to have the event on home turf, and welcome competitors from North Carolina to New Hampshire."
The Chesapeake Regional will feature high school teams from 10 states, including 24 teams from Maryland. Baltimore city and county teams include Baltimore Polytechnic, Boys' Latin, Digital Harbor, Dulaney, Dunbar, Owings Mills, Park School, Parkville, Patterson, Western and Woodlawn.
The event brings together more than 2,000 students, parents and volunteers to inspire the next generation of technology and engineering leaders. The competition will be an exciting soccer-like game called "BREAKAWAY." Top teams will advance to the FIRST World
Championships in Atlanta, Georgia in April 2010.
During the Chesapeake Regional, FIRST will also host demonstrations of its other programs for kids from ages 6 to 18. Attendance at the Chesapeake Regional is free and open to the public on March 12-13 from 9am - 4pm.
More information about the event is at chesapeakefirst.org
