By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

At the end of the week, the school bell may signal the start of the spring break for many, but hundreds of students and their families will be filling the East Kentwood gym for the fifth annual Kentwood District Robotics Competition.

About 40 teams are scheduled to compete at the FIRST Robotics event which is this Friday and Saturday. This includes host team East Kentwood’s Red Storm, Wyoming High School’s Demons, Potter House’s Tactical Hams, and the community team Code Red the Stray Dogs. 

“I love it,” said Kris Lima-Viana, from Potter House Tactical Hams about participating in FIRST Robotics. “It is like one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It is very, very intense.”

Started in 1992, FIRST Robotics is an international competition that is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of engineers and technologists through a robotics competition. FIRST stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

Each year, the challenge is revealed in January with teams having six weeks to building a robot that can accomplish specific tasks. This year’s challenge is Destination Deep Space with teams having to construct a robot that can put hatch panels on a “cargo ship” and fill them with cargo and then escape from the harsh planet Primus.

“I like to see the kids learning,” said Justin Van Etten, coach and mentor for the Wyoming High School Demons. “it is skills they don’t normally get in the classroom. They get machining knowledge. They get welding knowledge. They get knowledge of how to use a grinder and a saw. Stuff that academics does not normally teach you, and just being able to see them do something with their hands and show that they are good at a bunch of different stuff that is not classroom related.”

The program’s ultimate goal is to encourage students to purse science and technology careers by showing how everyone’s contributions not only build a robot, but a team.

“Robotics is really like a sport for anyone,” said Audrey Marsman, a member of the East Kentwood Red Storm. “You don’t have to just be interested in building a robot. There are a lot of things that are behind the scenes that aren’t just hands on on the robot that anyone can get involved.”

The free family event starts at 8 a.m. on Friday with matches taking place until 7 p.m. On Saturday, activities start at 8 a.m. with elimination round taking place in the afternoon. Awards are at 5 p.m. There are several different awards, including Chairman’s Award, which qualifies a team to automatically move on to the state competition. For more about the event, click here.

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