All-girls team from Valley school competes in robotics competition

MARICOPA, Ariz. (FOX 10) - Hundreds of students gathered to compete in the inaugural VEX Robotics Competition at Legacy Traditional schools in Maricopa. The competition features 35 teams from different Valley schools and the winners will head to states next month.

"People were kind of underestimating us because we're an all-girls team and now we're qualified for states three times," said Sofia, a competitor.

Sofia, Emily, Lauren, and Erin know a little something about surprising people. The all-girls robotics team at Legacy Traditional Schools didn't just qualify for states once but three times. If you ask, they'll tell you working together is one of their secrets to success.

"Well you have to make decisions as a team it's not just a one person thing, you have to work together you have to do everything as a team it's not just Erin it's not just me it's not just Sofia it's not just Emily it's a team effort," said Lauren, a competitor.

Robotics coach Laura Hartwig says the VEX Robotics Competition is the culmination of almost a year of hard work and dedication.

"It's funny to watch their excitement their nervousness the tears, it's a huge range of emotions but when they're succeeding they're on top of the world and as a teacher, it's the best feeling we can have as educators," said Laura Hartwig.

She adds it's important to want to succeed but to also learn from mistakes.

"It's success and failure, it's teaching kids that you don't always win but the idea of how did you work together how did you overcome those obstacles," said Hartwig.

While pushing the boundaries of what's possible and finding solutions to real-life problems, making a few friends along the way never hurts.

"Most of us have never met each other before but we've become like really really close friends through robotics," said Lauren.