MADRID, New York (WWNY) – Back-to-back regional championships mean back-to-back national appearances for the Madrid-Waddington Central School District’s drone soccer team.
Two years ago Tyree Hawkins had never heard of drone soccer.
“Drone soccer – they don’t really match that well normally,” he said.
Now he’s representing Madrid-Waddington at the U.S. Drone Soccer National Tournament for the second year in a row where the Yellow Jackets will face teams from as far away as Istanbul, Turkey.
“I’m ready to meet different people. It’s gonna be a blast,” said Hawkins.
Five players per team, each remotely flying a drone. Only one player can score on the team, the striker. The other four defend their goal.
Winning nationals means scoring more goals than other teams. Regardless of the outcome, the team is still winning by watching themselves grow.
“The students come, they pilot, they program, they build, they fix,” said Michelle Burke, co-teaches drone soccer.
Drone soccer is a class at Madrid-Waddington where students build and program the drones they compete with, exposing students to careers in engineering. Their success in the air is dependent on their work in the classroom
“The students really do the lion’s share of the work and we just kinda guide them,” said Ted Schultz, co-teaches drone soccer.
On top of what they learn in the classroom, students learn to find new friends with a common interest in drone soccer.
“Since you’re here every other day with them you get to know them better,” said Hawkins.
The first match of nationals is this Saturday at Virginia Tech against a school from Long Beach, California
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