By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Troy — From March 23-24, the Brandon High School robotics team, Truck Town Thunder (T3) competed at the FIRST Robotics Competition tournament at Troy Athens High School.
The competition included 42 high school teams where T3 placed ninth after the qualifying matches. T3 was seeded sixth for the playoff rounds however, was eliminated after two rounds.
Despite their early exit from the playoffs, T3 has accumulated enough points to advance to the Michigan State Championship on April 4-6 at Saginaw Valley State University.  A good showing there will propel them to the World Championship in Houston, April 17-20.
Following the Athens competition, T3 was selected for the Quality Award which celebrates robot robustness in concept and fabrication.
To achieve the Quality Award, the T3 was able to describe their quality plan on how their design ensures robustness throughout the entire competition, that their robot demonstrates quality workmanship, welds, attachment systems, etc. and that their robot can withstand the rigors of competition and maintain functionality.