After a dominant performance at the US Drone Soccer District II Championship in Utica on March 8th, two GST BOCES drone soccer teams are officially heading to the National Championship. The Owego-Apalachin River Hawks Red successfully defended their district title, while the Bath-Haverling Rams secured a hard-fought third place, both earning berths to compete in Daytona Beach this May.
The district championship featured the top 16 teams in US Drone Soccer’s District II; a district composed of nearly 90 teams from both New York and New Jersey. A total of 5 teams from the GST BOCES program competed at the US Drone Soccer District II championship. The Spencer-Van Etten Skeleton Crew, Owego-Apalachin River Hawks Blue, and the GST BOCES STEM Academy Black teams also performed very well. The southern tier teams earned berths at the District II championship based on their performance at a regional qualifying tournament run by GST BOCES in February.
The Owego-Apalachin River Hawks Red and the Bath-Haverling Rams teams will compete in the upcoming National Championship tournament being held on May 18-19 at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Additional teams from the GST BOCES Drone Soccer program may be awarded wild card seeds for the national championships.
The GST BOCES Drone Soccer program is only in its second year, but is already the largest program of its kind in the United States, currently featuring 13 teams from 11 southern tier school districts that compete in several events run by GST BOCES from October to February. The program, a collaboration of the GST BOCES Model Schools program and the GST BOCES Regional Information Center promotes aviation and STEM career paths through participation in an exciting competitive aviation sport.
Congratulations to Mr. Myron Rumsey, recognized with The Golden Hat Trick award.
