Port City Robotics is a community-based, all-volunteer, non-profit organization.
We mentor young people as they learn to design, build and program robots, which are then taken to regional and national competitions. This practical, collaborative, hands-on experience in science and technology has proven invaluable to our students, many of whom have chosen to pursue a college education centered around STEM.

Our Mission: Making science fun for everyone.

Our Plan: To inspire students to do great things with science and technology.

Our Teams

Rookie Year: 2013

FRC Team 4534 – Wired Wizards (Grades 9-12)

Ken Kelmer and Beth Bacheldor are the coaches for this FIRST Robotic Competition team.

The utimate sport for the mind. Under strict rules, limited time and resources, the team is challenged to build and program an industrial-sized robot to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. The season starts in September & runs until mid April. If interested in joining, contact coach Ken Kelmer or coach Beth Bacheldor.

See The Wizards!

Rookie Year: 2018

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FLL Team 38481 – Mechanical Mages (Grades 6-8)

Beth Davis is the Coach and Founder of this FIRST LEGO League team.

Each year the team designs, builds, tests and programs a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology and then participates in tournaments and celebrations. Team members learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills in a fun and interactive environment. The Mages season begins August 1 and runs to the following January. If interested in joining this team, contact coach Beth Davis (beth@wiredwizards.org)

See The Mages!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is FIRST?

FIRST is an international robotics league with competitions for students of all ages. Think of FIRST as the “NCAA of youth robotic competitions”. FIRST creates the competition themes, rules and forum.

What does FIRST stand for?

FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”.

What are the age groups involved in FIRST competitions.

FIRST Competitions are divided into four leagues:

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): The largest program aimed at high-school students. The competition requires students to design, build, and program a robot capable of various feats and maneuvers. Each year, the game and competition field are re-envisioned to offer a brand new set of challenges. FRC rewards outreach, entrepreneurship, and innovative design.

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a competition for students in grades 7-12 that requires teams to design, build, and program a robot according to a difficult yearly challenge. The competition rewards innovation as well as community outreach.

FIRST Lego League (FLL) is for students aged 9-14 that motivates students to research and work on a real-world challenge, as well as design, build, and program a robot to perform varied tasks.

FIRST Lego League Jr (FLL Jr) is for curious minds aged 6-10 that involves building Lego robots and models to carry out a task.

Our History:

The Wired Wizards were founded in 2013 by Jazmin Capezza as an outreach program for UNCW’s ACM chapter and an opportunity for her son and his friends to put their engineering passions to the test. Jazmin and the original founding members worked hard to grow from a small team of friends into a large, very active, team funded entirely by local business and individuals in the Wilmington area.

Port City Robotics (PCR) was founded by Ben Barbour in 2015 in response to his experiences working with middle and high school students and discovering that many lacked exposure to quality programs at home and school. His mission became one to find ways to provide a safe and nourishing environment for everyone, regardless of previous experience or financial means, to discover a passion for sciences and a taste of what STEM careers may be like. Ben is currently the Lead Architect and Developer for Lapetus Solutions, Inc.

Hannah Wilson created the Port City Robotics Logo . She is a Wired Wizards team alumni and past mentor, past PCR secretary and a graphic designer for Hanoona Media.