BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WLUC) – The middle school Michigan State Robotics Championship is this weekend. Six U.P. teams received an invitation to compete in Battle Creek.
“There’s a lot of pressure, but I am really excited for it. I remember we were the last one to get the invitation to go to states, at first it just did not click for a second,” said Emma Frye, MOre Bots Team Representative, and Escanaba 8th grader.
Teams from Escanaba, Houghton, Ishpeming, Marquette, Mid-Peninsula, and Munising will compete this weekend alongside 65 Michigan school teams. This year’s competition theme tackles realistic problems.
“The challenge is called Freight Frenzy. We do know that there have been massive breakdowns in logistics with the pandemic,” said Amanda Gibbons, First in Michigan Education Director.
Each team designs a robot to deliver round or square packages to marked shipping hubs while avoiding obstacles. Teams score points by delivering cargo to the hub. Each team will play 5 matches and the best teams advance to the final.
With the help of coaches, students learn the virtue of teamwork.
“I really enjoy watching the team grow and the robot evolve,” said Logan Stephens, MOre Bots Driver, and Escanaba 7th grader.
Gibbons says stem programs like robotics are an investment in the future of U.P. technology.
“We are developing the next generation of engineers, welders STEM enthusiasts,” Gibbons said.
The entry fee is $150 per team, and students will fundraise to cover additional costs. The competition brings together students from all social groups.
“There is a lot of people that I wouldn’t necessarily talk to before I joined robotics, but now I am really good friends with some of them,” Frye said.
The championship is this weekend December 17 and 18. It has been 4 years since a U.P. team advanced to the final championship round.
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