WHEELING – Local robotics students started out Monday on their trek to the VEX Robotics World Championships happening this week in St. Louis.

Ohio County qualifiers left Wheeling Park High School on a charter bus at 9 a.m. Monday. Three WPHS teams will participate in the event – including state champion teams Iron Patriots X-Ray and Iron Patriots Yikes, as well as Iron Patriots K-Otic.

Also taking part in the high school competition will be the George Drinks Water team from John Marshall High School, which was expected to leave for St. Louis Monday evening, according to Tony Wood, communications coordinator for Marshall County Schools.

The high school rounds are set to begin Wednesday at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, with the tournament concluding Friday.

There are 10 divisions in the tournament, with up to 80 teams competing in each for a total of nearly 800 high school teams present.

Middle school competition, meanwhile, takes place Saturday thru Monday. Marshall County Schools is sending five middle school teams to the competition, including four from Sherrard Middle School.

Sherrard teams are the Rubber Duckies, Lil’ George, Clankers, Cinnamon Toast Crunchies and Loose Screws. The Costco Hot Dogs from Moundsville Middle School will be joining them there.

The middle schools will be leaving for St. Louis on Thursday, Wood said.

The VEX Robotics World Championships in past years took place in Dallas, and the move to St. Louis has made it a little more convenient for local teams. The drive to St. Louis took about eight hours, while the trip to Dallas was 18 hours, according to JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools.

She and Erin Triveri, coach of the Warwood Middle School robotics team, left early to get to St. Louis ahead of the students. They were already on site Monday afternoon.

“We came a day early to get the lay of the land and get everybody checked in to the hotels,” Shay said. “We’re in a new place, so we have to figure it out.”

Teams will also be staying an extra night in the city, as the tournament has been expanded from two days to three days.

There will be fewer qualification rounds, and each day will end earlier, Shay explained.

WPHS robotics coach Luke Shepherd and assistant Azariah Bayes were riding the charter buses with the students on Monday.

Meanwhile, the JMHS team George Drinks Water flew to St. Louis, and also arrived safely Monday afternoon, according to Zak Klemm, coach of the Sherrard robotics teams, who accompanied them.