GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County robotics team is competing in an international competition next week.
Twenty-one Gladstone High School BraveBots leave for Houston, Texas on Sunday to compete in the FIRST Robotics Championship. The BraveBots participated in three district competitions before making it to the state competition last week.
“We ended up placing 45th in state rankings, which got us enough out of the 82 teams that get to make it from States to Worlds,” said senior Sawyer Lynch, who has been a BraveBot for four years.
From April 19 – 22, the team will compete against robotics teams from countries all over the world.
“It is fun interacting with everyone and kind of seeing how they run their team and their culture,” said senior and fifth-year BraveBot Devin Messina. “I think that’s my favorite thing about Worlds, seeing so many different types of people coming together for one thing.”
Teams compete in a series of games. The students have designed their robots to accomplish certain tasks, such as placing an object on a platform.
Lynch says there is a place for everyone in the BraveBots.
“Of course you have the drive team and the pits, but you also have like media groups for kids who just want to film the robot,” he said. “They’re really good at posting on our social media. You have kids who are more hands-on, which has helped to build the robot. There’s just a lot across the board. It’s not like there’s one specific thing that you have to be smart to be a part of this.”
Messina believes this year’s robot is their best yet.
“We have hundreds of hours into this robot,” she said. “Having it compete at the level that it is is like a dream come true.”
No matter the outcome of the championship competition, Lynch and Messina say this experience has already impacted the rest of their lives.
“My goal is to become an engineer when I’m older, and FIRST is actually helping me show that I was capable of doing it,” said Lynch.
“It is super important to build your confidence and your character,” Messina said. “I don’t think I would be who I am today without this.”
The BraveBots are fundraising to help with travel expenses. Donations can be made via GoFundMe, or they can be dropped off at Gladstone High School at 2100 M-35 in Gladstone.
