By Megan Walch
Special Contributor to the Review
ANN ARBOR — Lake Orion High School Robotics Team 302 has qualified for the Michigan Robotics State Championship.
The Dragons attended the FIRST in Michigan District competition in Berrien Springs on March 2-3. After 12 qualification matches the team ranked sixth among all 38 teams.
As the first pick of the second-place alliance, Team 302 partnered with Team 4237 of Stevensville and Team 201 of Rochester to soar to victory. The Dragons also took home the Sustainability Award.
Next up, the Dragons attended their Week 3 competition in Ann Arbor on March 16-17. Team 302, along with Teams 862, 67 and 4362, helped supply rookie Team 9672 from Colon with teammates, allowing them to participate during the competition.
The Dragons also helped the rookies build, wire, and program their robot. A unique feature of the FIRST program is that it encourages teams to help each other compete at their best. The Colon Magi Robotics won the Rookie All-Star Award, and will be competing at the Michigan State Championships.
During the Ann Arbor competition, The Dragons fought their way to captain of the 4th alliance, partnering with Teams 3322 of Ann Arbor and 5144 of Adrian. The 4th alliance was finalists with The Dragons earning the Judges Award.
Team 302 has qualified and will be attending the State Championship in Saginaw on April 4-6, competing for a spot at the FIRST World Championship in Houston.
Team 302’s matches can be viewed online through an official Twitch stream linked on www.thebluealliance.com.
To see the path Team 302 blazes ahead, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @firstteam302.
Megan Walch is Controls Student Lead for Lake Orion High School Robotics Team 302.