FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Mueller, Director of Public Relations
Cell Phone: 314-603-9983; jmueller@stlbsa.org
ST. LOUIS—A team of five Boy Scouts from the Greater St. Louis Area Council are hoping for home-field advantage when competing at the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championship at the Edward Jones Dome on April 27-30. Approximately 128 teams from Canada, Mexico, Netherlands and the United States will participate in the FTC tournament, one of four FIRST programs. The event is expected to attract more than 11,000 participants from 29 countries. Admission is free.
The Oddly Charged Particles (Team #2888)—Eagle Scout Vineeth Bhuvanagiri, Life Scouts Ian Pittwood and Brian Roth, Star Scout Kevin Johnston and Second Class Scout Chris Novatny—will attend the World Championships for the third consecutive year. They were division finalists last year. They earned an invitation to the World Championship this year by winning the Inspire Award at the Ohio Championship. During the 2010-11 season, they competed in four FTC events and won eight trophies.
The team members continue to distinguish themselves in Scouting. Johnson and Pittwood hiked and backpacked approximately 70 miles last summer at the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. Roth is planning to attend Philmont this summer. All five earned the Arrow of Light Award in Cub Scouts before becoming Boy Scouts. Four of the five were elected to the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s honor society.
The Oddly Charged Particles and other participants involved in Scouting can learn more about the new Robotics Merit Badge during the event. The Boy Scouts of America launched the new merit badge earlier this month and will have an interactive booth at the event. Attending a robotics competition is one of the 
requirements.
Here’s more information on each team member:
Bhuvanagiri: 17 and a member of Boy Scout Troop 322, chartered to Eureka Methodist Church; junior at Eureka High School.
Johnston: 15 and a member of Boy Scout Troop 567, chartered to the Wildwood Lions Club; a freshman at Marquette High School.
Novatny: 15 and a member of Boy Scout Troop 567, chartered to the Wildwood Lions Club; a freshman at Eureka High School.
Pittwood: 15 and a member of Boy Scout Troop 567, chartered to the Wildwood Lions Club; a freshman at Marquette High School.
Roth: 16 and a member of Troop 169, chartered to Assumption Catholic Church in Mattese, Mo.; a junior at Lindbergh High School. He also earned the Parvuli Dei and Ad Altare Dei Roman Catholic emblems.
