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[email protected] Press Release High Resolution Photos with captions available at http://tinyurl.com/4bg7ret OVER 1,000 AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT DURING THE OKLAHOMA ROBOTIC REGIONAL COMPETITION. Teams from Lawton, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Grove, Edmond, Ponca City and Kansas Advance to Championship, Others Win Honors for Design, Sportsmanship, Partnership OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – March 21, 2011 – Attended by thousands of fans, families, educators and industry leaders, the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Oklahoma Regional Competition awarded several teams with honors that rewarded design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities. Held at the Cox Convention Center on March 17, 18 and 19, the 52 high school student teams competed to earn a spot at the FIRST Championship held April 27- 30 in St. Louis, Mo. With the hope of winning one of the several coveted awards, high school students worked with professional Mentors to design and build a robot over a six week period that solved a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules. In this year’s robotics game, “LOGO MOTION™, teams competed on a 27-by-54-foot field with poles, attempting to earn points by hanging as many triangle, circle, and square logo pieces as possible. Many of the Robots earned extra points by deploying a Mini-Bot able to climb a vertical pole. “This year’s challenge was really tough. Each team clearly demonstrated teamwork, professionalism and strategic thinking,” said Mickey Clagg, chairman of the FIRST Robotics 1 of 4 Competition Oklahoma Regional.