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Drone racing one of the few activities still going

The YDSC has done a complete pivot to virtual racing

With almost all levels of sports and activities being canceled there is one team still going strong.

"We can do this as long as we need too," says Executive Director of the Youth Drone Sports Championships, Marty Wetherall. "We can have the whole state tournament in the simulator."

The Youth sports drone championship program, began operating remotely this past weekend. Kids fly virtual drones through a virtual course - identical to the one they flew the weekend before -- live at Benilde St. Margarets high school..all from the safety and comfort of home.

"Pilots can actually the exact same radio controllers that they'd use to fly the drones in real life," says Wetherall. "They plug them into their computer and they fly a virtual drone using a drone racing simulator.

The simulator allows them to see things almost exactly as they see things in a regular race..Making the switch over seamless.

"It really says a lot about the adaptability of these kids," says Wetherall. "They've already jumped into something brand new like high school drone racing. They've already been building drones, learning new things and soldering and doing all that cool engineering stuff that we require before they can fly around the room."

The YDSC has now grown to 20 teams across the state and intends to hold it’s state tournament in Main either live or virtually. Giving their participants a rare opportunity this spring – to be able to finish a season

"We can actually on board more schools and more teams," says Wetherall. "Through the simulator while we all wait for things to get back to normal"

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