[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 74 (Tuesday, May 8, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H3786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE CENTRE COUNTY 4-H ROBOTICS CLUB

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the Centre County 4-H Robotics Club for winning the FIRST 
Robotics Competition and being the first Pennsylvania team to capture 
the title.
  The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school 
robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, 
coaches, and mentors work during a 6-week period to build game-playing 
robots that weigh up to 120 pounds. The Centre County 4-H Robotics Club 
was 1 of 405 teams from 22 States and 7 countries to compete in the 
late-April event which was hosted at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
  Each team earned a spot in the contest based on competition 
performance throughout the year. This year, the Centre County 4-H 
Robotics Club earned its spot by winning its first regional competition 
at the Greater Pittsburgh Regional in March. The championship entailed 
10 rounds of qualification matches in six divisions. The top eight 
teams in each division drafted an alliance of four robots to compete in 
a single-elimination playoff to determine the division champion, at 
which time the Centre County team joined forces with Stryke Force from 
Kalamazoo, Michigan; Team Rush from Clarkston, Michigan; and Lake 
Effect Robotics from Kingston, Ontario.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an amazing accomplishment on many fronts. The 
Centre County 4-H Robotics Club has created state-of-the-art 
technology, they have worked together with interstate and international 
peers to achieve success, and they have built long-lasting career 
skills.
  I am incredibly proud of this club, and I want to highlight each team 
member: Tom Sowers, Mary Davis, Tate Geiger, Hannah Strouse, Petr 
Esakov, James Hanagan, Nathan Tack, Thad Valentine, Griffen Josephs, 
Roger Nagel, Emily Christensen, Zach Jester, Lachlan Sneff, Isaiah Adu, 
Ben Servey, A.J. Marsala, Braydon Button, Alex Mullen, Eli Johnson, and 
Lee Conklin.
  The club had numerous mentors and community supporters who helped 
them to achieve this first-place international finish. This is 
especially important today, on National Teacher Appreciation Day. This 
week we celebrate America's hardworking, dedicated, and passionate 
teachers, who inspire scores of students. To all of our teachers and 
mentors, especially those who helped the Centre County 4-H Robotics 
Club bring home gold at the FIRST Robotics Competition, we salute you.
  Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly congratulate the Centre County 4-H 
Robotics Club on this outstanding achievement in Centre County, in the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, and, 
quite frankly, in the world. Congratulations.

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