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Manchester Hosts FIRST Robotics Regional Competition

The eleventh annual FIRST Robotics competition kicked off regional qualifying matches Friday.

“This is the 2013 Granite State Regional! Are you guys pumped? [Cheers] Holy moley!”

Manchester’s Verizon Wireless Arena was full of high-schoolers from New England and Canada. Their robotic creations tossed Frisbees and climbed steel pyramids.

Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte along with Representative Annie Kuster participated in the opening ceremony.

Kuster says that just as New Hampshire is the first state to have an entirely female delegation, thanks to FIRST founder Dean Kamen, it’s also the first in the nation for new ideas and new technologies.

“I’m so excited. I honestly have never even dreamed of a robot that can shoot a Frisbee. So good luck to all of you. Have a great weekend…”

The tournament wraps up this afternoon. Winners will have a shot at the national championship in St. Louis this April.

Video of a qualifying match. Warning: turn volume down before playing.

Before becoming a reporter for NHPR, Ryan devoted many months interning with The Exchange team, helping to produce their daily talk show. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Manchester with a major in Politics and Society and a minor in Communication Arts. While in school, he also interned for a DC-based think tank. His interests include science fiction and international relations. Ryan is a life-long Manchester resident.

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