ASIBORO, N.C. — Several schools around the state are taking football to new heights: the sky.
What you need to know
- Drone soccer is played by a spherical drone aiming at a goal
- Asheboro High School started a team a few months ago
- The team won a regional title in Virginia in March.
- Asheboro High School will compete in the National Drone Soccer Championship at the end of April
Asheboro High School participates in Drone Soccer, a sport that combines soccer principles with STEM, aviation, and team-building skills.
“It was so interesting that I got really into it. I like tinkering with things and that's kind of how it all started,” said Jacol Reyes, a sophomore at Asheboro High School and member of the drone soccer team. Told.
The team, led by coach Wendy Graham, who teaches biology at the school, has been meeting for several months.
“I had to learn how to build a drone and everything on my own,” Graham said. “Then we put out tentacles for students who might be interested. We brought the arena here.”
“We have a few drones up and running and just trying to get some excitement by flying them on parent nights and sometimes students and different classes would come and check it out,” she said.
Students on the team will build, program, and learn how to fly drones, each finding a niche that will help the team succeed.
“It's very sensitive and you have to be very careful,” Reyes said. It's kind of hard to keep track of your stuff. ”
During the game, five students play as a team in the positions of keeper, sweeper, center, striker, and forward. Each drone is programmed differently to suit location needs.
Striker Reyes aims to score by flying a soccer-ball-shaped drone through a hoop.
“Mine is a little faster. So I sent mine to be more responsive, and it makes it harder to fly,” Reyes said.
After the match, students tinker with the drone's programming to improve gameplay.
“Unlike store-bought drones, you don't take them out of the box. And they seem to be working perfectly. We just have to fine-tune these things and their positions,” Graham said.
After months of practice, Asheboro High School, one of the few schools in the state with a drone program, traveled to Virginia for its first regional tournament in March and won.
“We're really excited to have this opportunity…with more teams in full swing in North Carolina and some tournaments being held here and in our state, here in North Carolina. “We hope to give more students the opportunity to learn how to fly drones in a competitive manner,” Graham said.
Asheboro High School will once again compete in the national championship at Virginia Tech at the end of April. Although international soccer drone tournaments and other drone sports are more common in South Korea and Germany, the sport is also gaining traction in the United States.
“Honestly, I think this needs to be recognized more. I think it will develop into a bigger sport,” Reyes said.