Gulf Shores, AL. — (GSN) — Times certainly change fast. Not so long ago, headlines would have celebrated traditional invitational golf and tennis tournaments; today, the spotlight belongs to the world's best drone pilots and teams. People often wonder when we'll start writing about advanced robotics and electric car racing—except we already are, right here with the Hyperwave program at Gulf Shores High School.

Gulf Shores High School is officially making robotics history. Next month, the school's Hyperwave robotics program will host the world premiere of the VEX AIR Drone Competition on Friday, November 20, 2026, running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. No team anywhere on the planet has competed in VEX AIR prior to this event, and the game's creators alongside VEX Robotics leadership will be in attendance to watch history unfold.

Teams will compete in Pick & Drop, the inaugural VEX AIR game. Operating identical standard competition drones, pilots must navigate timed flights to pick up colored objects and deposit them into red and blue goals. Mid-match adaptability is key: pilots can land in a pit-stop zone to swap out attachment modules, batteries, or landing feet, instantly altering how their drone performs.

In the qualifying rounds, teams are paired into two-team alliances and ranked by their average scores, leading into a final round where top teams select their alliance partners to fight for the first-ever VEX AIR tournament title. Live scores will be broadcast on a big-screen leaderboard throughout the day.

Coaches James Salvant and Jamie McClung emphasized the monumental impact of hosting this premiere. Hyperwave students have helped build the event from the ground up—including the live scoring system—offering students a rare opportunity to showcase their engineering and coding skills directly to the engineers who designed the platform.

Ultimately, the Hyperwave program at Gulf Shores High School doesn't just prepare students for the future—it empowers them to make meaningful contributions right now. With performance data, engineering iterations, and technical findings published in real time through AI integration, these students aren't just practicing for tomorrow's workforce; they are actively driving innovation in competitive robotics today.