UIL adds robotics to list of eligible competitions

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LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - UIL has now added robotics to its list of high school competitions. Eligible high schools will now be able to compete in a new championship.

Monterey High School's robotics team says the change will provide more experience and networking opportunities.

Bryce Weighill is a 17-year-old junior and a captain of the Monterey FIRST robotics team.

Bryce was raised working next to his Dad, who is a mechanic so the foundation for Bryce's education was set from a young age.

"He's taught me everything I need to know," he said. "I know how to work every machine in here before we even stepped in here.

Monterey's engineering program is called Project Lead the Way, and it helped cultivate what his Dad started.

He showed some of the parts he'll use to build a robot, possibly one that could now get him to state.

Bryce says he fees like the program is giving him a state of the art platform to launch from, they even use tools like what are used at Texas Tech.

"We're doing the same thing that Tech is doing because they enter the competitions the same way we do," he said. "So we have the same skills."

He says because of the opportunities provided by Monterey and competitions like the UIL one next year, one day, he hopes to continue his education in mechanical engineering at Texas Tech.