Photo Provided Students from Scrap Metal at Triadelphia Middle School and the Iron Patriots: Zenith team from Wheeling Park High School participate together in robotics competition.

WHEELING — A major robotics tournament attracting participants from 16 states and Canada is set to happen in Ohio County next week, and organizers admit to being nervous about the weather.

Snow and frigid temperatures have strongly impacted the region and forced school closures over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, the second annual “Gateway to the West” tournament is scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 3 at The Highlands Sports Complex.

The event is a VEX Robotics signature tournament, with tournament winners and those selected winners of excellence awards qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas this spring.

What happens if winter conditions continue and teams can’t make it to the tournament?

“That’s a great question,” said JoJo Shay, innovation coordinator for Ohio County Schools. “Hopefully, if there is poor weather, it happens when they are already here.

“We will keep watching the forecasts and make decisions, but it’s looking pretty good right now.”

There are 80 high school teams and 69 middle school teams signed up to compete, and they will come from 16 different states and “a few provinces from Canada,” according to Shay.

Last year’s middle school winning team was from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Shay said the school district is moving forward with plans for next week’s event.

“We’re working on stuffing bags for all students who are participating,” she continued. “The rest of this week, we will be finalizing our packing and we will start moving stuff on Friday.

“On Tuesday, we will move into The Highlands (Sports Complex).”

Ohio County Schools already had one local robotics event canceled this month.

The “High Stakes At the Palace on The Hill” robotics tournament that was set to take place throughout the day at Wheeling Park High School on Jan. 11 has been rescheduled for Feb. 15., according to Shay.

A total of 38 teams representing six counties in Northern West Virginia had been expected to attend. The teams will come from Ohio, Marshall and Brooke counties in the Northern Panhandle, as well as Monongalia, Harrison and Marion counties in North Central West Virginia.