A team of students from Westminster, Colo., got the chance to compete in South Korea last month. The sport they play? Drone soccer.
Drone soccer is a fast-growing air sport, according to the World Air Sports Federation.
Drone Soccer involves two teams of up to five players with the objective to score the highest number of goals. The U.S. Drone Soccer websitestates that the drones are "radio controlled quadcopters in protective exoskeletons designed for collisions."
Westminster High School teacher Robbie Ferguson first introduced the sport to his students and administration three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's basically one person who can score points which is known as the the striker, and then all of the other teammates are all defending the goal," Ferguson explained. "The matches are three minutes, so that's pretty much the basics of the gameplay."
Ferguson's team has become recognizable in the U.S. since its debut.
Last month, four Westminster High students — junior Helen Tran, sophomores Luis Lechuga and Jonathon Villalobos and senior Xavier Culp, traveled to South Korea to participate in an international drone soccer open. They, along with Ferguson, were selected to compete on the U.S. drone soccer team.
The team was undefeated until the semifinal round, when the team fell to the overall top seed team representing the championship's host country, South Korea. They ended up placing third in the competition.
"It was just an amazing opportunity to be able to be a part of all of this," said Ferguson. "Seeing all the kids learn and adapt on how to build, fix, repair and fly the drones was special."
Ferguson added that working with the hosts of the tournament added to the fun of the experience.
"The coach from the South Korean team just took all of our students under his wing and just showed them how to be the best they could," said Ferguson. "That was pretty awesome."
Ferguson added that three of the four students from this year's team will be back next year. There is also a strong chance the team will once again represent both the school and the state of Colorado on the international stage this fall.
"There's some opportunities that are upcoming," said Ferguson. "It looks like there's actually another tournament that is going to be held in South Korea at a different location in October. So that will be another opportunity for us to take on."
Ferguson also said his team benefited from the generosity of the U.S. drone soccer team, which covered their travel and lodging expenses in order for them to compete in the East Asian country last month.
