Dragons qualify for FIRST robotics state championship

By Sydney Martin and Megan Walch
Special Contributors to The Review
STANDISH — Just two weeks after winning their first event of the season in Jackson, Michigan, Lake Orion High School Robotics Team 302 competed at the Standish-Sterling FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) District Qualifier.
After playing through 12 of 77 qualifying matches, Team 302 scorched the competition, ranking #1 and undefeated.
Joining forces with Team 1506 (Metal Muscle of Flint) and Team 6533 (BeaverTech of Beaverton), The Dragons were well-prepared for elimination matches. They charged through the double-elimination bracket, never once losing a match.
Team 302 and their alliance powered through to the final round of the competition, where they faced Team 5505 (Volts Squared of Alpena), Team 9245 (Laker of Pigeon), and Team 5216 (E-Ville Empire of Essexville) and won 2-0.
In addition to an overall undefeated record of 17-0-0, Team 302 shared the event’s highest score of 149 match points.
The team also won the Excellence in Engineering award, which celebrates the team that demonstrates a professional approach to the design process.
The Dragons attended the FIRST in Michigan District competition from March 2-4 in Jackson, winning their first competition of the season.
Lake Orion also won the Imagery Award, which celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance.
Furthermore, Team 302 is currently ranked #2 among all robotics teams in the state of Michigan, earning 146 total points toward advancement to the state championship.
The Dragons will compete next from April 6-8 at the FIRST in Michigan State Championship, which can be viewed online through an official Twitch stream linked on www.thebluealliance.com.
To see the path Team 302 blazes ahead, consider following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @firstteam302.
Sydney Martin is the Lake Orion High School Robotics Team 302 captain and business lead. Megan Walch is the Team 302 controls lead.