The Black and Orange Storm — one of the Powell Middle School Robotics Club’s teams — blazed through state competitions to earn a chance to represent the state of Wyoming at the World Festival in Houston this month.

However, the event, which would have brought together robotics enthusiasts and students from around the world, was canceled in mid-March. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down gatherings in the U.S. and elsewhere, the robotics competition was no exception.

In the months leading up to the cancellation, the PMS stormers team doggedly pursued efforts to raise the $10,000 needed to pay for its trip. They met their goal one week before the announcement that the event was being called off.

“It’s pretty brutal,” said Zac Opps, a PMS computer science instructor who sponsors the school’s Robotics Club.

The kids put a lot of hard work into winning the spot and raising the funds, making for an unfortunate turn of events.

“Our team is disappointed that we won’t be able to compete at Worlds and represent Powell and Wyoming,” said Dexter Opps, a member of the team.

Event organizers with FIRST posted regular announcements through March on how the pandemic might impact the event and had originally planned to move forward with extra precautions. However, by March 12, it was clear even those precautions were not going to allow the event to happen.

“This difficult decision was grounded in FIRST’s commitment to put the health and safety of our community above all else,” said Larry Cohen, FIRST president.