VEX IQ: Competitive Robotics Team

3rd to 10th graders unify as a team as they design, build, and program complex robots while gearing up for the 2025-2026 VEX competition. $350

SparkGrounds Tampa Bay
7777 131st Street, Seminole, FL 33776

Wednesdays · 5:30-6:30 PM
Classes Begin the Week of August 18!

Elevate your child's robotics skills with our action-packed 15-class series for 3rd through 10th graders! Using cutting-edge VEX IQ robotics competition kits, students will dive into designing, building, and programming increasingly complex robots, becoming a team as they gear up for the 2025-2026 VEX IQ competition.

Our program features dynamic instructor-led discussions, hands-on projects, and exciting sample competitions to ensure students master teamwork, leadership, troubleshooting, and strategic planning. Working in consistent four to six-member teams, each group will manage their own VEX kit, fostering collaboration and responsibility.

The semester culminates in a thrilling robotic showdown hosted by SparkGrounds, where students will compete against peers from other institutions. Don't miss this opportunity for your child to shine in the world of robotics--enroll today and let their innovation and teamwork skills soar!

This class does not require previous robotics, building, or STEM experience; however, students should have experience working in groups and enjoy group work. Students who have previously worked with VEX IQ robotics will be challenged to assume leadership roles within each team. Students should also be comfortable communicating with others and with working on detailed, multi-week, long-term projects.

After enrolling, parents or guardians will be sent a liability release that includes expectations and rules. That document must be returned before the first class meeting. Partial, pro-rated refunds are always provided should a child unenroll before the end of the class.

This class is approved for the PEP and FES scholarships and can be purchased here or directly on the Step Up website.

WEEK #1: VEX IQ 2025 COMPETITION & BUILDING REVIEW : Learn about the 2025 VEX IQ Competition and practice building with the Competition Kit.

WEEK #2: COMPETITION ROBOT BUILD: FLING #1 : Begin building last year's competition bot, Fling.

WEEK #3: COMPETITION ROBOT BUILD: FLING #2 : Continue building last year's competition bot.

WEEK #4: FLING: DRIVING SKILLS #1 : Learn how to drive and manipulate Fling, and practice on a competition-grade field.

WEEK #5: FLING: AUTONOMOUS CODING SKILLS #1 : Begin programming Fling for autonomous decision-making capabilities.

WEEK #6: FLING: AUTONOMOUS CODING SKILLS #2 : Learn more about Python while coding Fling for advanced thinking and testing various programs.

WEEK #7: COMPETITION ROBOT BUILD: SWISH #1 : Being building this year's competition bot, Swish.

WEEK #8: COMPETITION ROBOT BUILD: SWISH #2 : Continue building this year's competition bot.

WEEK #9: SWISH: DRIVING SKILLS #1: Learn how to drive and manipulate Swish, and practice on a competition-grade field.

WEEK #10: SWISH: DRIVING SKILLS #2 : Master driving Swish by taking on a variety of challenges—from easy to near impossible.

WEEK #11: SWISH: AUTONOMOUS CODING SKILLS #1 : Begin planning, programming, and testing various ideas for giving Swish game-specific autonomous decision-making capabilities.

WEEK #12: SWISH: AUTONOMOUS CODING SKILLS #2 : Continue tweaking and testing Swish's skills through Python programming.

WEEK #13: SWISH: COMPETITION PRACTICE & TWEAKING #1 : Switch to the competition field and begin practicing the skills needed for both the driving and autonomous challenges.

WEEK #14: SWISH: COMPETITION PRACTICE & TWEAKING #2 : Continue testing and tweaking the programming and physical configuration of Swish to better meet the competition's challenges.

WEEK #15: SWISH: COMPETITION : Battle against peer institutions to see how the SparkGrounds Swish stacks up.

Note that the schedule (and especially what is done on each day) is subject to change based on the realities of each individual class.