On Wednesday, April 8th, the Oxford High School Robotics team headed to the Michigan State Championship Competition. Of the 347 teams in Michigan, TORC entered the state competition ranked number one. 102 teams qualified for the state championship and competed over the course of three days at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids.
This year the competition was held on two fields due to the increased number of teams qualified for the competition. After two days of qualification matches, sixteen alliances were formed to compete in the elimination matches. TORC became the number eight Alliance Captain and invited Team 68 – TruckTown Thunder of Brandon, and Team 494 – Martians of Goodrich to join their alliance.
In the octo-finals, TORC’s alliance outscored the number 10 alliance 188-164 and the number 12 alliance 231-177. With the third highest average points of 209.5, TORC’s alliance advanced to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, the TORC and TruckTown Thunder robots both toppled the point compounding container from atop their tote stacks. This significantly lowered their score against the number 5 alliance, 103-150.
The second match of the quarter-finals was against the number 11 alliance and TORC’s alliance bounced back with a score of 208-219.This year’s game is all about average scores and the low score of 103 in match one bought the average down to 155.4 and TORC’s alliance was eliminated.
However, TORC exited the competition ranked number three in Michigan of the 90 teams that will now move on to the World Championship in St. Louis, MO. on April 22-25. In addition, TORC won its first ever Chairman’s Award at the state level and will now compete for the World Championship Chairman’s Award.
‘This is quite an accomplishment because this is only TORC’s fourth attempt to do so and it typically takes teams much longer to achieve such an honor,? said Mentor Kim Shumaker. ‘The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award a team can receive.?
Finally, Kristen Ewald, a third year TORC member, was chosen as a Dean’s List Finalist, after being selected as a semi-finalist at the Bedford District on April 4th. FIRST Dean’s List winners are ‘great examples of student leaders who have led their teams and communities to increased awareness for’FIRST’and its mission all the while achieving personal technical expertise and accomplishment,? according to the FIRST website.
Ewald is among eight students from Michigan who will now compete at the World Championship for the Dean’s List Award.
Also at the Bedford competition, TORC brought home the Engineering Inspiration Award, which recognizes a team that celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community.
During the District Western Michigan District Championship held at Grand Valley University during March 20-21, the team earned The Gracious Professionalism Award , sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and celebrates the team that exemplifies the core values of FIRST in their relationships with other teams and by their demonstrated Gracious Professionalism (learning and competing like crazy but encouraging high-quality work, emphasizing the value of others, and respecting individuals and the community).
They also won the Industrial Safety Award, which is sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories and celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.
‘TORC’s Safety Captain, Victoria Funke, spent countless hours improving and refining the TORC certification process that is used to train robotics students on fabrication machinery at OHS,? Shumaker explained. ‘The students? progress through four certification levels based on their proficiency in both knowledge of the machines and the safety precautions for each and in their skilled use of the machines.?
As the students prepare to head to the World Championship with the most successful season in TORC’s nine year history, Shumaker couldn’t be more proud.
‘I am constantly amazed at what the students can accomplish when we equip them with knowledge and skills and then step back as adults and let them run with their ideas,? she said. ‘TORC students design, fabricate, build, wire and program their robot and they are quickly closing the gap between long standing, highly successful veteran teams and themselves.?