By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — For a group of Arkansas 4-H members, months of hard work fine-tuning their underwater robots and their teamwork have paid off at the 2024 International SeaPerch Challenge.
INTERNATIONAL WINNERS — Deep Water Vanguard, a Grant County 4-H team, took second place overall in the high school stock class at the International SeaPerch Challenge May 31-June 1. Left to right: Coach Serena McGinley, Gavin McGinley, Callen Shaw, Gracie McGinley and Coach Brad McGinley. (Grant County 4-H photo.)
After taking top honors at the Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge in March, four Arkansas 4-H teams advanced to the international competition held May 31-June 1 at the University of Maryland. Three Grant County teams and one Madison County team competed against 174 teams from 23 states, six countries and four continents.
The annual competition requires teams to assemble a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, and maneuver it through underwater challenge courses. Teams are also judged on their technical design reports, which document the engineering and development process.
2024 International SeaPerch Challenge results:
Deep Water Vanguard from Grant County: Members Gavin McGinley, Gracie McGinley and Callen Shaw placed second overall in the high school stock class. Coaches are Brad and Serena McGinley.
Aquanauts from Grant County: Members Garrett Key, Priyam Laxmi and Eli Watson placed sixth overall in the open stock class. Coaches are Brad and Serena McGinley.
Submarine Crew from Madison County: Members Emma Griffin and Jayden Griffin placed 14th overall in the middle school stock class, seventh place in mission course and technical design report. Coaches are Whitney Griffin and Stephanie Franklin.
Wet Willies from Grant County: Members Jaxson Andrews, Luke Douthit, Ryleigh Kimbrell and Miley McGinley placed 25th overall in the middle school stock class. Coaches are Brad McGinley and Tina Melton.
Putting in the work
Brad McGinley, Grant County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and SeaPerch coach, said more than 3,000 teams competed in local SeaPerch Challenges worldwide this season, and the top 5 percent of those teams advanced to the international competition.
“To be among the top teams in the world is an amazing accomplishment,” McGinley said. “We are so proud of these teams. Last year, our high school stock team placed third, and this year, they moved up to second.”
McGinley said the Grant County 4-H SeaPerch teams have been preparing for both the state and international competition for months.
“We’ve been living and breathing SeaPerch since the state competition in March,” he said. “We’ve been working hard to perfect it. We’ve practiced one to two times a week since October. And since the state competition, we’ve had much to overcome. We had issues with the motor system going down, and we had to change it three times in the two weeks leading up to the competition.”
Callen Shaw, a member of the Grant County 4-H team Deep Water Vanguard, said the international competition was a “truly unique and unforgettable experience.”
“Placing in the top ten for all three events and second overall is an accomplishment I am proud of,” Shaw said. “However, the highlight for me was the opportunity to meet and collaborate with students from across the country and the world. Moments like these reinforce how unified we can be when we pursue knowledge and take on challenges collectively as a global community.”
During their trip, Grant County 4-H team members visited the National 4-H Council, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, toured the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and visited monuments and memorials on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
McGinley said a highlight of the trip included his students communicating with another team through a language barrier.
“One of my favorite moments was one of our teams interacting with a team from China,” he said. “They had to use Google Translate to communicate, but they were able to connect. It was a great experience for them.”
Caramie Edwards, Madison County extension agent, said her 4-H members Elijah Franklin, Emma Griffin and Jayden Griffin worked hard to achieve their progress.
“This team, along with Elijah who couldn’t make the trip, have worked together for the past four years,” Edwards said. “They have practiced discipline and patience to be able to compete on this level. Each year, they took what they learned and added to their bank of knowledge and skills. Being patient has really paid off for them, and we are extremely proud of how far they have come.”
To view the full list of International SeaPerch results, visit bit.ly/SeaPerch-International-2024-results. For more information about the Arkansas SeaPerch Challenge, visit 4h.uada.edu. To learn more about the SeaPerch program, visit seaperch.org/about.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.