FIRST state champs

Alliance of Goodrich, Huron Valley, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep win 2011 Michigan robotics crown

 

   After three days of grueling competition, the second-seeded Blue Alliance of Team 33, the Killer Bees from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Team 67, the HOT Team from Huron Valley Schools, and Team 70, the More Martians from Goodrich, won the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition Michigan Championship on Saturday, April 9, at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center.

   The win was especially sweet for Team 67, as they are a defending FIRST world champion and qualified along with other top teams from the state to the FIRST World Championships on April 27-30 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

   In the final best-two-of-three match in a game called “LOGO MOTION,” the Blue Alliance edged the fourth-seeded Red Alliance of Team 27, Team RUSH from Clarkston, Team 245, the Adambots from Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek, and Team 1023, the Bedford Express from Temperance Bedford.

   In game one, the Blue Alliance earned a close 112-111 victory. The Red Alliance evened the match with a 118-97 victory. Blue came back in the third game, winning 111-85 to take the title.

   In the “LOGO MOTION” robotics game, two alliances of three teams compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with poles, attempting to earn points with their robots by hanging as many triangle, circle and square logo pieces as possible. Bonus points will be earned for each robot that can hang and assemble logo pieces to form the FIRST logo. Robots can also deploy Mini-Bots to climb vertical poles for a chance to earn additional points. 

   In 1992, the FIRST Robotics Competition began with 28 teams and a single 14-by-14-foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym.

   This season, more than 2,073 teams – including 414 rookie teams – participate in the competition. Michigan is the only state in FIRST that has its own state championship.

  The state championship began on Thursday with qualifying matches and culminated with elimination matches on Saturday.

  The third-seeded alliance of Team 2137, TORC - the Oxford RoboCats from Oxford, Team 2054, the TECH Vikes from Hopkins, and Team 910, the Foley Freeze from Madison Heights Bishop Foley, and the eighth-seeded alliance of Team 74, Team CHAOS from Holland, Team 548, the Robostangs from Northville, Team 3098, the Captains from Waterford Kettering, both reached the semifinals.

   Team 503, the Frog Force from Novi, Team 1023, the Bedford Express from Temperance Bedford, and Team 548, the Robostangs from Northville, each earned the prestigious state chairman’s award at the competition.

   Teams qualified for the state championship by competition in district competitions at Kettering University, Traverse City Central, Waterford Mott, Grand Valley State University, Wayne State University, Ann Arbor Skyline, Niles, Livonia Churchill, and Troy Athens.

 

2011 FIRST Robotics Competition Michigan Championship

Winner

Team 33, the Killer Bees from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

Team 67, the HOT Team from Huron Valley Schools

Team 70, the More Martians from Goodrich

 

Finalist

Team 27, Team RUSH from Clarkston

Team 245, the Adambots from Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek

Team 1023, the Bedford Express from TemperanceBedford

 

Semifinalist

Team 2137, TORC - the Oxford RoboCats from Oxford

Team 2054, the TECH Vikes from Hopkins

Team 910, the Foley Freeze from Madison Heights Bishop Foley

 

Semifinalist

Team 74, Team CHAOS from Holland

Team 548, the Robostangs from Northville

Team 3098, the Captains from Waterford Kettering

 

Judged awards

State Chairman's Award No. 1: Team 503, the Frog Force from Novi

State Chairman's Award No. 2: Team 1023, the Bedford Express from Temperance Bedford

State Chairman's Award No. 3: Team 548, the Robostangs from Northville

Engineering Inspiration Award: Team 27, Team RUSH from Clarkston

Rookie All-Star Award No. 1: Team 3547, the Virus fromMonroe

Rookie All-Star Award No. 2: Team 3536, the Electro Eagles from Hartland

Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award: Team 302, the Dragons from Lake Orion

Delphi Engineering Excellence Award: Team 2619, the Charge from Midland

General Motors Industrial Design Award: Team 33, the Killer Bees from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

Motorola Quality Award: Team 2337, the EngiNERDs from Grand Blanc

Xerox Creativity Award: Team 141, WO-BOT from Holland

Coopertition Award: Team 1322, the GRAYT from Fenton

Entrepreneurship Award: Team 1718, the Fighting Pi from Macomb Academy of Arts and Sciences

Autodesk Excellence in Design Award: Team 3547, the Virus from Monroe

Imagery Award: Team 2246, the Army of Sum, from Johannesburg

Underwriters Laboratories Industrial Safety Award: Team 2604, the Metal and Soul from Capac

Judges Award: Team 910, the Foley Freeze from Madison Heights Bishop Foley

Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism: Team 326

Chrysler Team Spirit Award: Team 217, Teamsuperpowermaticultramegasuperlativeawesometasticdelcioushowlingunieagles from Romulus

Highest Rookie Seed Award: Team 3536, the Electro Eagles from Hartland

Rookie Inspriration Award: Team 3542, SPEED from Temperance Bedford

Website Award: Team 2834, the Bionic Barons from Bloomfield Hills Andover and Lahser