Rocket Sauce, the Mathews High School robotics team, is gearing up for the annual Virginia Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, a contest that begins on Jan. 4 and culminates in March with a three-day expo involving 50 to 60 teams at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

The 12-member team is planning to attend as many preliminary classes as possible to help contestants acquire skills before the competition itself begins. A six-class session will be held this weekend at VCU on topics ranging from computer programming for robots to building drive trains or operating a machine lathe. Bill Higdon, one of the team’s adult advisors, said he expects five or six team members to participate.

Team members are able to focus on areas that interest them, said Higdon. One member might be interested in computer programming, while another might prefer wiring electrical circuits. One young lady enjoys writing and computer graphics, so she w...