R4Creating best competition at BEST Competition

RIO RANCHO — The kids of R4Creating, a STEM learning center based in Rio Rancho, returned to their workshop Dec. 17. They were exhausted from the 2024 BEST Robotics Best of Texas Championship in Dallas, but they felt a sense of relief, a feeling of vindication and the satisfaction of a job well done.

The eight R4 team members also happened to be carrying fistfuls of awards.

That includes the second-place overall trophy.

R4 has been a dominant force in youth robotics since it opened its doors in 2016. But last year several factors, including some technical difficulties, saw the New Mexico team slightly lower in the final standings than they had hoped for.

That was not the case this year as the team rallied back and blew away the other 73 teams, many of whom were from well-funded Texas school robotics programs.

Regardless of the odds, the R4 crew marched into that exhibition hall in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 14, their black capes unfurling in their wake, and made their way through the crowd of onlookers and straight to their station in the corner of the gymnasium.

The message was clear: This year, R4 meant business.

Indeed, they weren’t messing around as R4 walked away with the second-place Overall BEST trophy in addition to first-place and third-place trophies in two separate categories. The team took the top spot in “Exhibit Design and Construction” and third in “Software Design.”

“I am so proud of the entire R4Creating team,” said Dr. Shelly Gruenig, R4Creating executive director. “New Mexico has always been a hub for science, technology, engineering, the arts and math, and this group represents the next generation of future leaders.”

R4 wasn’t alone in representing Rio Rancho this year, either. The ASK Academy also sent a team that competed in the “Rookie Bowl,” an event specifically for new teams.

R4Creating’s mission is to connect “STEM educators with valuable resources to prepare students to enter the STEM workforce pipeline,” according to its website. The R4 mission statement goes on to say, “We also promote the growth of STEM education and enrichment through award-winning robotics teams and a Robotics Leadership Academy where Learners become Leaders in our state.”

For more information on how to get involved, visit the team at r4creating.org.