DETROIT — Michigan’s FIRST Robotics teams recently showed dominance once again at the annual FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Louis over the weekend.
The three-day FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, held at the Edward Jones Dome, was capped off by a win Saturday night when Bloomfield Hills International Academy (Las Guerrillas) and Holland/Black River High Schools (Team CHAOS), won the coveted FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, along with alliance partners from San Jose, Calif. and Dallas.
Winning at the World Championship is not a first for Michigan. In 10 of the last 15 years (16 competitions), a team from Michigan has been on the world-winning alliance.
“I’m proud of our championship FIRST Robotics teams as well as the other Michigan teams and the mentors working with them,” Gov. Rick Snyder said, Monday. “This is another example of the top talent in our state. Michigan leads the nation in the number of FIRST Robotics teams. These public-private partnerships not only produce champions, they are creating a new generation of people with in-demand skills who will continue to help our state grow and thrive long into the future.”
This year’s game, Aerial Assistsm, required teams to build robots that could pick up, pass, throw, catch and score a huge 24 inch rubber ball into a wide slot in an elevated backboard. Alliances earned extra points by passing the ball from one partner to another.
Team RUSH of Clarkston won the Chairman’s Award, the highest honor given at the FRC Championship, recognizing the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and performs outstanding outreach to the community and others. By earning this coveted achievement, Team RUSH qualifies for the FIRST Hall of Fame, right alongside two previous Michigan winners from Milford (HOT) and Pontiac Schools (Wings of Fire). Additionally, Camron Razdar of Team RUSH was named a Dean’s List Award winner.
