Members of the Dark Side Robotics Team of Williamstown were recently awarded a $2,000 grant from Optimum to support its robotics program. The team won the Community Impact category in the company’s Seventh Annual Innovator Awards. (Photo provided)

WAVERLY – The Dark Side Robotics Team of Williamstown will receive a $2,000 grant to support its robotics program.

Optimum, a local provider of fiber internet, mobile, TV and phone services, recognized the robotics team as the winner of the Community Impact category in the company’s Seventh Annual Innovator Awards, according to a press release from the company.

The team received a $2,000 grant to support its FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program. Teams from around the country compete every spring. The FIRST nationals were in May.

The Optimum Innovator Awards celebrate FIRST teams that demonstrate outstanding innovation, teamwork, leadership, and service throughout the competition season. The awards recognize achievements across several categories, including community engagement, technology, inclusion, inspiration, and sustainability.

The grant check was presented to the club this past Monday in Waverly by officials from Optimum.

A robot built by the Dark Side Robotics Team of Williamstown during an event at a competition. The robot picks up balls and shoots them out. The team recently won a $2,000 grant from Optimum to support their robotics program. (Photo provided)

“Optimum is a big supporter of FIRST teams and as a company we fund teams throughout our service footprint (including the Dark Side Robotics team), helping them have resources to fine tune their robots and get them ready for the national competition,” said Anne Tidrick, director of communications for Optimum. “At the end of every season, Optimum awards teams for their hard work through the company’s own Innovator Awards.

“The Dark Side Robotics team won the Community Impact category of our awards, and the team will receive an additional $2,000 grant to support its FIRST robotics program for next season. We’re excited to celebrate these kids for their hard work.”

The team was also chosen for its exceptional commitment to community service and environmental stewardship, according to the press release. Team members volunteered with the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, contributing to a major trail improvement project by helping build a retaining wall, clearing forested areas, preparing a boardwalk through swampland, and planting vegetation to enhance the natural habitat and improve public access to the refuge.

Dark Side Robotics Team Captain and Drive Coach Collin Line said there was a field of 70 teams competing from an area that includes West Virginia to North Carolina and they choose two to three teams to give awards to. Their team has 11 members.

Line said the team is planning to use the money to cover equipment costs for their robot and to help fund a robotics camp program they have coming up. The camp starts next week and will be a couple days a week for about six weeks.

They will teach middle school aged kids basic design process, engineering process, fabrication and more to get a working robot ready to compete. The application for the camp is available at the Discovery World of Parkersburg website. As of Friday, they still had a few spaces available.

Winning the award was good as it shows their efforts are being recognized, Line said.

“We are a very small team compared to a lot of FIRST teams,” Line said. “We see our efforts being rewarded over a team with over 70 people.

“It feels really good for someone to recognize that we are making an impact on our community.”