On March 3- 5, 18 students from the robotics team participated in a competition in Rochester, New York, taking fourth. The team competed against 43 other teams.

     “We did quite well compared to some other teams and got two awards,” said junior Matt Bolster. He added, though, that he felt some of the judging was unfair.

     The teams competed all three days, and according to Steve Ketron, the group’s faculty advisor, they worked from 6:30 a.m. when they awoke for breakfast until 8:30 or 9 p.m.

     “The competition showed promise for our team and the New York competition was kind of a practice for us,” Bolster said referring to the team’s upcoming competition in St. Louis.

     The students attending weren’t just chosen because they were in the class or on the team, limitations were made. The students had to raise a certain amount of money, and even take a test on how much they knew about the team’s history, how much they knew about the game, and the like.

     Because of the high cost of the trip, the students fundraised. Ketron compares it to a small business, and the students have their own website to publicize what they’re doing. Because of this publicizing, they’ve received grants from multiple places. DTE gives them money every year, and recently GM has been giving an incentive-based sponsorship.

     Like all teams, the major goal of the robotics team is to win. They would like to get recognition for them and their sponsors, so they, the sponsors will stay with the team. They would also like to make new friends and meet new people.

     The boys who attended were generally optimistic going into the competition. Junior Ryan Huff said, “I feel like our robot this year is really well built, and I expect we will do well in the competition.” Senior Trevor Jarrait, the team’s co-captain adds, “Our robot will be very competitive, and we hope to qualify for the world championship in St. Louis.”