This high school level robotics competition will showcase 18 Michigan teams battling in complex two-minute matches against highly skilled competitors in last season’s game, Crescendo.
Highlighting women in tech
GRGRC is a FIRST Robotics off-season event (Courtesy, GRGRC 2022)
The GRGRC is a FIRST Robotics off-season event. Michigan boasts the most FIRST Robotics teams in action, and the competition will be energized.
During this unique event female team members will be the primary drivers, operators and pit crew members of their team’s robot.
“I’ve really looked forward to the Girls Tournament every year since I’ve known about it,” said Emma Bustraan, #4967 That ONE Team – Our Next Engineers. “It’s kind of a neat experience, because there’s something special about being responsible for how you end up placing.
Female team members operate their team’s robots (Courtesy, GRGRC 2023)
“It’s a cool feeling to have the joystick in your hands and knowing that, if you break the robot, you have to fix it.”
The GRGRC will begin with a Ladies in Tech panel at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
This panel is a great opportunity to connect and learn from female STEM leaders in our community.
The robotics competition begins with opening ceremonies at 8:45 a.m., concluding with the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
Family-friendly and FREE
Mark your calendars for this family-friendly event and to learn more about STEM and FIRST Robotics. All events are FREE, open to the public and will be held at Wyoming High School, 1350 Prairie Parkway SW.
GRGRC is hosted by Demons Robotics #858 from Wyoming High School, Red Storm Robotics #3875 from East Kentwood High School, Red Storm Rookies #9566 from East Kentwood Freshman Campus, and community team That ONE Team #4967.
Stay up-to-date on competition details on the GRGRC Facebook page.
A competition at the FIRST Robotics event at East Kentwood. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
By D.A. Reed WKTV Contributor
GRP Titans Nikolai Nigersoll demonstrates how the team’s robot works. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
Battery issues were the challenge that Grand Rapids Prep Titans FIRST robotics team faced on Saturday, but they did not have to go far to find support.
“We are a team here,” GRP Titans mentor Matt Stewart said of all the 39 participating robotics teams at Kentwood’s FIRST Robotics competition. “All of robotics is a community-oriented thing. We’ve learned so much from all of the other teams.”
Multiple teams reaching out to give GRP Titans tools to help them test their battery, offering their team’s batteries, and offering to let the Titans charge in their pits.
“Everyone is so graceful and helpful,” said Stewart. “In the pits, it’s a community. Once you’re on the field, then you (have to) compete.”
“The Hardest Fun You’ll Ever Have”
The East Kentwood Red Storm Robotics Team (3875) hosted the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) qualifying tournament March 31-April 1, 2023. The competition was sponsored by Dematic, a supplier of materials handling systems, software and services based in Grand Rapids. It gave the teams an opportunity to qualify for the state competition, which is April 6-8 at Saginaw Valley State University.
FIRST Robotics Competition is designed to combine the excitement of sport with the precisions of science and technology. FIRST Robotics’ website calls their competitions “the ultimate Sport for the Mind,” while high school participants have labeled it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”
Michigan Robotics teams strive to teach students a multitude of skills, including mechanical engineering, computer-aided design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining skills.
“You see the kids mature, and one of the big things is all the technical skills,” said event coordinator Wendy Ljungren, adding that the program has opened the college door for many students. “It’s been great to see our kids going into the STEM fields. We’ve had people become doctors, and lawyers, and professionals in engineering and STEM fields, and really see them transition.”
Teaching Life Skills
Sara Robarge, mother of EK teammate Kailey Robarge, said she has seen strong leadership skills taking hold in her daughter over the last year.
Red Storm Robotics teammates Mo Otajagic and Kailey Robarge carry the team’s robot Terence off the field. (WLTV/D.A. Reed)
“I have seen her take on leadership that I hoped I had instilled in her, but I have seen her put it into practice this year,” Robarge said. “As a freshman, she stepped out and tried out for the Drive Team. She also stepped up and said, ‘I’ll lead a robot build.’”
EK robotics mentor Mark VanderVoord said he has seen growth in many students, this year being current team captain Sarah Shapin.
Since Shapin joined the team in sixth grade, “she has learned a lot of technical skills. She’s going to U of M (University of Michigan) next year to do computer programming. Outside of that, she has a high-level view of how it all fits together and how everybody should be working together.
“All of the kids look up to her at this point,” said VanderVoord. “And she was the goofy one when she started!”
VanderVoord emphasized that robotics students are learning far more than how to build a robot.
“It’s about all the life skills,” VanderVoord said. “The teamwork and the technology stuff, but there are kids on our team who are learning marketing and there are kids who are learning all sorts of disciplines. We’re teaching kids to learn (everything).”
Growing the team is a large part of Red Storm Coach Trista VanderVoord’s focus.
“This year we focused a lot on recruitment,” Trista VanerVood said. :We wanted to grow our numbers, but mostly grow our numbers of girls, of females in the program.”
The Building Blocks
That recruitment doubled the size of the Red Storm team overall, with now over 40% of the team consisting of females—quadrupling its female percentage from last year.
East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics team stand next to their robot, Terence. The team competes at the state championship this weekend. (WKTV/D.A. Reed)
“It’s been awesome to see the growth, and it’s been awesome to see the sub-teams that have developed there and really come together and take on their part of the team,” Trista VanderVoord said.
EK’s Red Storm finished the tournament 20 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.66, 5-7-0, 20 ranking points, and earned the Team Sustainability Award. The team already had earned a spot at the state competition by winning the highest award, the Impact Award, at the Lakeshore competition in March.
Other teams at this weekend’s state competition are Hopkns’ Tech Vikes (2054), West Catholic’s Enigma Robotics (2075), Forest Hills’ Comets (3357) and Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs (2771), which is a community team based out of Byron Center High School.
Abby Strait, high school senior and part of Wyoming High School’s Demons Robotics (858) team, has no trouble taking ownership of her role on the team.
“I’ve always been one of the people who has their hands all over the robot,” Strait said. “By the time we get to the competition, I know the robot inside and out. The more you put into the program, the more you get out of it.”
Demons Robotics finished the tournament 15 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.83, 7-5-0 (wins-losses-ties), and 22 ranking points.
GRP Titans
Grand River Preparatory High School participated in the EK tournament with its first robotics team in ten years, the GRP Titans (9206), due to grants received from FIRST Robotics.
Stewart said that all students participating have been very invested in the program.
“Some of them had no prior experience, some of them only had building, yet every student has been all hands on deck with everything, and it’s been really cool to see,” Stewart said. “They all know what they do best, what they need to work on, so it’s been really fun to see them all working together.”
Though the Titans currently have approximately 15 team members, Stewart sees that number growing and sustaining since the team is composed mostly of underclassmen.
The GRP Titans finished the tournament 28 out of 39 with a ranking score of 1.50, 4-8-0, and 18 ranking points.
D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author
On March 28, East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics won Impact Award, which secures the team a spot at the state competition. (Courtesy, Red Storm Robotics)
Terence and the Red Storm Robotics Team qualified for the state tournament on Monday, March 28, at the Battle Creek Lakeview #2 tournament after winning the judge’s Impact Award.
The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Impact Award is the most prestigious award in a FIRST Robotics Competition. The award recognizes a team that reflects sustained excellence and impact within the FIRST community, in its own community and beyond.
Terence and the team had another fine performance on the field as well. The team finished 12th in the qualifying rounds and was selected for the #6 Team Alliance before being knocked out in the first two rounds of the finals with their alliance partners. Winning the Impact Award sends the Red Storm Robotics team to the First in Michigan FRC State Competition at Saginaw Valley State University on April 6-8, but before they go to state Red Storm hosts its own qualifying tournament this weekend in Kentwood.
Robots from all over the state will be rolling into Kentwood’s home tournament on March 31 and April 1 to take on 37 other FIRST Teams’ robots for a chance to advance to the state tournament. In this Charged UpSM competition, the Red Storm Robotics team reimagines the future of sustainable energy and powers its ideas forward to victory.
The Kentwood Tournament is a free event for everyone starting at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 31. The public is encouraged to attend. WKTV Community television crews will be at East Kentwood both days providing television coverage of the FIRST Robotics competition. WKTV’s coverage will be available for broadcast on WKTV and streamed via WKTV’s on demand service in the month of April.
Please come cheer our Red Storm Robotics team as they demonstrate “gracious professionalism” through their application of mechanical engineering, computer-aided design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining skills.
Red Storm Robotics’ Terence utilizes autonomous and driver-assisted modes, optical sensors to help guide it to targets, an elevator arm with a mechanical cone-grabbing claw, and gyroscope-assisted balancing to help it perform in this year’s 2022-2023 competition. The KPS FRC Team #3875 is made up of approximately 40 high school students, four coaches, and four mentors from the Kentwood Public Schools and nearby communities.
The Red Storm Robotics with Terence robot. (Courtesy, Red Storm Robotics)The Red Storm Robotics team cheers on its teammates. (Courtesy, Red Storm Robotics)
Bringing home the title win was Byron Center’s Code Red, Gull Lake’s Twisted Devils, and East Kentwood’s Red Storm. (WKTV)
East Kentwood’s Red Storm robotics team not only snagged a win at the East Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition, but also earned the Gracious Professionalism Award Advancement of FIRST Robotics. (WKTV)
Code Red Robotics, which is based in Byron Center, was one of the winning teams and also earned the Engineering Inspiration Award at the East Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition. (WLTV)
The Wyoming Demons, far right, was one four teams to finish as a finalist at the East Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition on March 31-April 2. (WKTV)
Hopkins’ Tech Vikes, which is sponsored by Wyoming’s GM Components, earned the Autonomous Award sponsored by Ford. (WKTV)
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma joanne@wktv.org
When spring break is over, Kentwood and Byron Center Public Schools will have something to boost about.
For the first time in almost two years, robotics teams from around the state were able to compete at the East Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition, traditionally held the first weekend of spring break, which this year was March 31-April 2.
“We do it at this time because the school is out on spring break which makes it easier for us to be able to use the gym for a full three days,” said Wendy Ljungren, who works with East Kentwood’s Red Storm, which hosts the competition.
This year it was the combined teams of East Kentwood’s Red Robotics (Team 3875), the all area-based team in Byron Center, Code Red Robotics (Team 2771), and Gull Lake’s Twisted Devils (Team 4381) that took top honors. The first place wins secured all three teams a spot in the state competition, which is set for April 14-16 at Saginaw Valley State University. Also moving on to state is Belmont’s That ONE Team-Our Next Engineers (Team 4967), which earned the coveted District Chairman’s Award.
The FIRST Robotics team resets the playing field at the East Kentwood FIRST Robotics competition, which was March 31-April 1. (WKTV)
Kentwood Superintendent Kevin Poston certainly could not contain his excitement as he sent out a Point of Pride notice on Monday, April 5, to announce the Red Robotics win and mentioning that the team also earned the Gracious Professionalism Award for the advancement of FIRST Robotics.
After a hard fought battle in the playoff rounds, Wyoming High School’s Demons (Team 858) came in as a finalist. Since there is one more district competition, set for April 8-10, Demons coaches said it will be about a week before they know if the team will advance on to the state competition. The Demons’ current ranking is 88th in the state.
There are about 541 Michigan FIRST Robotic teams. The state has 16 districts with about 26 competitions. Teams are required to participate in two robotic competitions for the season.
There are 160 team slots at the state competition. Those who have won a district competition or earned the Chairman’s Award or the District Engineering Inspiration Award advance to the state competition regardless of ranking. From there, the rankings fill in the rest of the spots.
“Sometimes a team can win more than one thing at an event or win two events,” said Ljungren. Such was the case of Byron Center’s Code Red, which was part of the winning alliance and also received the District Engineering Inspiration Award which celebrates the outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community.
“In that case, a spot would open up for another team to attend,” she said.
Ken Orsechowski, a coach for the Code Red Robotics team, gets interviewed by the WKTV team. WKTV will airing the East Kentwood Robotics competition at a later date. (WKTV)
For the World competition, which is set for April 20-23 in Houston, Texas, FIRST in Michigan will be sending 64 teams total. This includes the winning alliance from the state competition and the state Chairman’s Award, Engineering Inspiration Award, and Rookie All-Star Award winners. The number also includes any Hall of Fame teams, which is a team that has won the National Chairman’s Award in the past 10 years. In 2021, Novi’s Frog Force (Team 503) earned such an honor.
One West Michigan team expecting to head to the world competition is Hopkins’ Tech Vikes, which is sponsored by the GM Components plant located in the City of Wyoming. The plant also is sponsoring the Wyoming High’s Demons team. Tech Vikes, which earned the Autonomous Award sponsored by Ford at the East Kentwood competition, is currently ranked 23rd in the state.
Other West Michigan team state rankings are Forest Hills’ Comets (Team 3357), ranked third; Byron Center’s Code Red (Team 2771), ranked 45th; East Kentwood’s Red Storm, (Team 3875), ranked 51st; Grandivlle’s The RoboDawgs (Team 288), ranked 146th; and Lee Robotics (Team 7234), ranked 163rd. For a complete list of state rankings, click here.
Red Storm Robotics will hosts its first competition in two years. The delay was due to the pandemic. (Supplied)
After two years away from the battlefield, robotic teams from around the state will once again enter the East Kentwood High School gym to face off for honors and a chance to compete at the state level.
The East Kentwood FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, hosted by East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, will take place this Friday, and Saturday. There are 34 teams scheduled to compete. Among the local teams are Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, Wyoming High School’s Demons, and Potter’s House’s Tactical Hams. The event also will be recorded by WKTV and aired on Comcast Channel 25 along with being available on the WKTV on-demand site.
This year’s competition is called “Rapid React,” hosted by Boering. The purpose of the competition is to have teams look at today’s global challenges related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9. Teams are focused on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.
“By encouraging FIRST participants to think about future transportation sustainability, we’re also empowering them to be the next generation of leaders and innovators, tackling the world’s toughest challenges,” according to the FIRST Robotics website.
Teams had six weeks to build a robot that would be able to load and move basketballs to designated areas. In the final part of the competition, robots must be able to demonstrate climbing abilities by moving through a series of bars. Through the competition, the teams will demonstrate skills in mechanical engineering, computer-aid design, electrical engineering, programming, systems integration, website building, animation, and fabrication/machining.
Thursday is when the pits officially open and inspections take place. The action starts on Friday, with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and qualifying matches starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday the big day with opening ceremonies again at 9 a.m. and qualifying matches starting at 9:30 a.m. Alliance selections will take place at 12:30 p.m. with playoff matches set for 2 p.m. and awards around 5 p.m.
One of the FIRST robotics teams carries its robot off to the pits. (WKTV)
Each team is required to attend two district competitions. Those teams that earn enough points or certain awards, then advance to the state competition which will be April 13-17 with the national competition set for April 20-23 in Houston.
The event is free and open to the public. Masks are required for all participants, volunteers, and spectators. Participants and those in the pits are required to wear safety glasses.
The East Kentwood High School is located at 6230 Kalamazoo Ave. SE.
Started in 1992, FIRST is an international high school robotics competition founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen — the man behind the Segway — and MIT professor emeritus Woodie Flowers. In fact, Kamen often has stated that FIRST is the invention he feels most proud of.
School starts in just a few weeks and soon after, many of those students will be spending their after school hours building a robot for the annual FIRST Robotics competition.
Saturday, Aug. 3, WKTV will feature a special presentation of the 2019 FIRST Robotics competition that took place at East Kentwood High School in April. The show features highlights of the day’s events along with interviews with local teams, such as East Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, and patrons and parents.
The program airs at 2 p.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and WKTV AT&T Channel 99.
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.”
Top Dawgs: Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs took home the prestigious Chairman’s Award at the 2018 event. This honor automatically qualified them for the state competition. (WKTV)
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.”
Color coordinated fans are ready to cheer on their team. (WKTV)
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.
“FIRST is more than robots. The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect — of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first season, with a vision, with confident, and with a sense that they can create their own future.”
― Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST Robotics
Top Dawgs: Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs took home the prestigious Chairman’s Award.
Robot Rumble
The FIRST Robotics program is well underway with the first area competition set for this Saturday at Grand Valley State University. Two local teams, South Christian and Godfrey’s Lee High School, will be participating. The next big event will be at East Kentwood, Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30. WKTV will be covering the East Kentwood event, which will have local teams from the Potter House, Wyoming High School, the community team Code Red, and host team, East Kentwood.
Think Spring
Get into the spring spirit with the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s “Art in Bloom,” which is running through the weekend. The exhibit features the work of 17 floral designers and their interpretation of 17 works from the Museum’s collection on view—ranging from Robert Rauschenberg’s Sterling/Whirl to Hans Arp’s La Sainte de la Lisiere. There are several activities planned around the bi-annual event including a tour, a Drop-in-Studio event, and a classical concert. Click here for more information.
Signs of Summer
Bell’s Brewery announced that Monday, March 25, will be the release date of its popular summer brew, Oberon. For those who wish to partake in all the revelry, Bell’s has a new Oberon Day Excuse Generator, http://bellsbrewery.com/excuses to help you get out of work. So party like its the summer of 2019 (which we hear is coming soon).
Fun fact:
Here is the cheese on cheesecake
In honor of the recent announcement that The Cheesecake Factory is coming to Woodland Mall, we dug up a few cheesecake fun facts: it is believed that cheesecakes were served to Olympian athletes at the 776 B.C. games to give them energy; the largest cheesecake every made weighed 4,703 pounds and was made by the Philadelphia Kraft Foods Mexico on Jan. 25, 2009; and the man credited for the New York-style cheesecake is Arnold Reuben, the man behind the Reuben sandwich. According to the story, Reuben was invited to a dinner party where the hostess served a cheese pie. He was so intrigued by this dish that he experimented with the recipe until he came up with the New York-style cheesecake. (Source)
Teams from 40 West Michigan high schools will compete for robotic supremacy at the annual FIRST Robotics event hosted by Grand Valley State University.
The teams will compete on March 22-23 at Grand Valley’s Fieldhouse Arena in a challenge where they will use the robot that they have designed and built to fill a cargo ship and rocket with elements from space. Teams will race the clock, as well as their opponents, to pick up as much cargo as they can.
Grand Valley students and alumni will volunteer at the event to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
FIRST Robotics is a unique competition model where students gain real-world experience designing, programming, creating and marketing a robot to win the competition. Many teams work hand-in-hand with industry mentors and gain experience and skills not available in a traditional classroom setting.
Color coordinated fans are ready to cheer on their team at GVSU’s FIRST Robotics competition held last spring.
By Leah Twilley
GVSU
Hundreds of young technology enthusiasts will gather at Grand Valley State University September 8 to celebrate the beginning of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Tech Challenge season.
More than 400 area middle school students will gather on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus to learn about this year’s spaced-themed challenge and game, Rover Ruckus.
FIRST — a national program founded in 1989 — challenges teams of students to work together to design, build, program and test robots to play a floor game. Teams are guided by coaches and mentors while developing STEM skills and practicing engineering principles. The kick-off event at Grand Valley is one of 13 events in Michigan taking place on Saturday.
FIRST Tech Challenge Kick-off
Saturday, September 8
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Eberhard Center and Keller Engineering Lab building, Pew Grand Rapids Campus
At noon, the challenge will be revealed in the Eberhard Center, room 215. After the reveal, students will head to the Keller Engineering Laboratories building see a replica of the game arena and network with other teams. In the morning and afternoon, students will participate in several workshops to discuss planning and strategy for this year’s competition.
Sara Maas, outreach coordinator for Grand Valley’s Padnos College of Engineering and Computing, said the event is an opportunity for students to experience what it’s like on a college campus.
“For some, it may be their first time on a college campus, and for others, it allows them to see and work in a real-life engineering space,” she said.
The West Michigan teams will compete in regional tournaments in November and December to advance to the national championship in Detroit in April.
It was a packed house as East Kentwood High School hosted its fourth annual FIRST Robotics event just before Easter.
More than 800 students from around West Michigan and as far away as Troy and Milan, competed at the two-day event in hopes of landing a spot in the state competition set for April 12-14 at Saginaw Valley State University.
Teams for the Kentwood and Wyoming area included home team East Kentwood’s Red Storm, Wyoming High School’s Demons, Lee High School’s Rebel Robotics, Potter House’s Tactical Hams, and the West Michigan Aviation Academy’s Team Spitfire. There also were teams from Grandville and Grand Rapids such as Ottawa Hills High School.
After 80 some qualifying rounds, the final eight teams were announced Saturday afternoon with team alliance selections made for the semi-finals. Several of the local teams including East Kentwood’s Red Storm, Wyoming’s Demons, Lee’s Rebel Robotics, and Potter House’s Tactical Hams made the semi-finals.
Top Dawgs: Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs took home the prestigious Chairman’s Award.
But it would be the alliance of Kalamazoo’s Strike Force, Newaygo’s NC Gears, and Hackett Catholic Prep’s Irish Robotics that would bring home the win.
Several local teams did receive awards with Grandville’s Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs taking home the Chairman’s Award. This is the most prestigious award at FIRST as it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Teams who have earned the Regional and District Championship Chairman’s Award can travel to the FIRST Championship to be considered for the Chairman’s Award.
Code Red Robotics the Stray Dogs along with Wayland’s Widlcats and Lee’s Rebel Robotics were a district event finalist. The Wayland Wildcats also earned the Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors.
Receiving the Highest Rookie Seed was Potter’s House’s Tactical Hams and the Gracious Professionalism Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson went to Grandville’s The RoboDawgs.
WKTV broadcast the event live on Saturday, March 31. Visit wkvt.viebet.com to see the broadcast or check the WKTV TV schedule at wktv.org or wktvjournal.org.
The energy in the gym is electric. Mascots lead the crowds in cheers as the teams take the field. Someone runs in front of the bleachers with a team flag with others in the stands holding up illuminated signs of team numbers. It only gets quiet as the match is about to start. The buzzer goes off and the place erupts with noise.
This is March Madness not for basketball, but for robotics, specifically FIRST Robotics. This Friday and Saturday, the madness comes to East Kentwood High School’s field house as the district for the fourth year hosts the First Robotics event.
“I have been superintendent for the district for five years, so I have really gotten the chance to see this event grow,” said Kentwood Superintendent William Zoerhoff, who added that watching the students work as a team to figure out a problem using their STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts, and math — skills is pretty amazing.
Color coordinated fans are ready to cheer on their team at GVSU’s FIRST Robotics competition.
Started in 1992, FIRST is an international high school robotics competition founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen — the man behind the Segway — and MIT professor emeritus Woodie Flowers. In fact, Kamen often has stated that FIRST is the invention he feels most proud of.
The program began with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high school gym, according to the FIRST website. In 2018, it is estimated that more than 400,000 students across the globe will come together and within six weeks, design, build, and program a functional robot which is able to fulfill the unique and complex challenges specific to that year’s game.
“But it is much more than just building a robot, “ said Grand Valley State University’s Dean of Engineering Paul D. Plotkowski. GVSU was one of the first organizations to host FIRST Robotic competitions with the university having its event last weekend. “It’s about teamwork. It’s about students coming together and solving a problem with each student having a specific task in accomplishing the goal.”
Teams are not only required to build a robot, but they have to come up with a business plan to help cover costs for parts and travel. In the cast of Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics, Zoerhoff said when funding for the school’s program was needed, the students pitched the team and event to Switch which signed on as a major community supporter.
In the end, it is not about winning either, according to Kentwood’s FIRST Robotics Competition organizer Wendy Ljungen, who is a chief consulting engineer for GE Aviation Systems. It is about getting students interested in the field of technology and in fact, there are a vast array of scholarships available to students who participate in FIRST.
“When GE got involved, it was looking at how to get more women involved in technology,” Ljungen said. “GE has been a strong force in creating a balance by encouraging girls and building a better pipeline.”
So nine years ago, a GE group, called Women in Technology, began to look around to see what programs there were to encourage students and specifically pull girls into the pipeline of technology and engineering. They found FIRST and had about three months —which included the two-week Christmas break — to pull together a team. They did and Kentwood’s Red Storm Robotics team became the top seeded Rookie team that year.
Mentors work with the South Christian High School team
From there, GE branched out to help with establishing three middle school teams in Kentwood — one which went to the world competition last year — along with helping with the Wyoming High School’s team the Demons and this year, re-establishing the Ottawa Hills High School team. Those teams along with West Michigan Aviation’s Team Spitfire, Lee High School’s Rebel Robotics, and Potter’s House’s Tactical Hams are among the more than 40 teams that will be at this weekend’s event.
This year’s competition theme is based on a Mario game with the robots required to be able to pick up cubes that can be placed on a scale along with passing them out for stacking. Robots also need to be able to climb a structure with some able to load another team’s robot and climb.
The “game” floor has all the bells and whistles of the Mario game complete with a giant scoreboard showcasing who has the most points. There is a few minutes before a winner is announced as final scores are tallied.
Each team is required to attend two district competitions. Those teams that earn enough points or certain awards, then advance to the state competition which will be April 12-14 at Saginaw Valley State University.
“It has been quite a journey,” Ljungen said. “When we started there was about 200 teams. There are now more than 500 teams with the goal that ever listed high school in the state will have a team.”
The growth of FIRST is evident as to accommodate all the teams with Forest Hills Central High School added to the schedule this year as a new FIRST Robotics event site. That competition is next weekend.
In this edition of the WKTV Journal, we take a peek inside Wyoming’s Craig’s Cruisers to look at some of its newest attractions.
As WKTV prepares for its live coverage of the FIRST Robotics competition at East Kentwood High School, WKTV’s Allison Biss gives us a look at the high school’s robotics team and the work that goes into building a robot for the big event.
Then host Donna Kidner-Smith sits down with Grand Valley State University professor Jim Smither, the coordinator for the GVSU Veterans History Project, to discuss an April 2 event that features the special screening of the documentary “Unforgotten.” The film focuses on what happened to many Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon and life in the re-education camps. The film’s director and co-producer Diem Thuy also joins Kidner-Smith to talk about the film.
We also take a look at what is next for the Gezon Park master plan and discover what happened to all those banners that announced the Metro Health – University of Michigan Health merger.
Don’t forget, the City of Kentwood’s annual Easter Egg Hunt is on March 31 at 10 a.m. at the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SW.
The outside fortifications of the castle have taken serious damage as the opposing forces lick their chops readying for a takeover. Three valiant knights, bonded by an alliance, are all the castle has left. They band together and strike back, strategically battering the opposing stronghold with a flawlessly executed counterattack that places victory within reach.
Now all that’s left is to bring down the tower, and time is running out.
It’s a battle scene playing out straight from a movie. However, these knights aren’t people, they’re robots, and they’re built and operated by high school students on a quest for a state championship at the DeltaPlex from April 14-16..
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in Michigan is an organization and robotics competition that gives students an opportunity to build their own robots and compete against other teams. It’s a way for students to discover how rewarding a career in engineering or technology can be.
Code Red Robotics, a local program based in Kentwood, recently qualified for the Michigan FIRST Robotics State Championship that will be held this weekend at the DeltaPlex Arena. Code Red enters the competition with the highest district score in West Michigan, highest scoring regular season match in the country, and as a winner of the Chairman’s Award, the top award in FIRST.
The competition theme for this year is “FIRST Stronghold” and creates alliances of three robots on a quest to breach their opponents’ fortifications, weaken the opponents’ tower with foam boulders, and ultimately capture the tower. Students were given six weeks to create a robot from scratch that could best handle all the obstacles. In all, the outermost line of fortification had more than 18,000 possible field configurations.
“Robotics is a great opportunity for the kids to learn teamwork. It truly is a team sport,” said Code Red director Ken Orzechowski.
Code Red Robotics started in 2008 and hasn’t looked back. Since the team started competing in 2009, Code Red has qualified for the state championship every year but one and has qualified for the world championship twice.
While most robotics teams are affiliated with a school, Code Red Robotics runs separately and relies on students from surrounding area schools to bolster the team. It’s the most challenging obstacle for the program.
“We have to constantly reach out to kids to join,” said Orzechowski. “It’s difficult, but having a team represented by 10 different schools only adds to our team dynamic. Plus, once they get in, they don’t leave. It’s too much fun!”
The schools represented at Code Red include Byron Center, Caledonia, Calvin Christian, Forest Hills Central, Grandville, Kenowa Hills, NorthPointe Christian, South Christian, Well Spring Academy, and home schools. On top of bringing kids in from other schools to learn robotics and be a part of a team, Code Red has been active in starting up robotics programs across the area.
In order to get a new program off of the ground, Code Red meets with school and community leaders, recruits mentors to help the students, and aids in finding sponsors and developing business plans. Their efforts have succeeded in getting six programs off the ground and rebooting another: the Forest Hills Comets, East Kentwood Red Storm, the Altobots, West Mi Aviation Spitfires, Harper Creek Robo Beavers, and the Petoskey Paladins. Code Red was also instrumental in finding mentors and sponsors to revive the Wyoming Demons after they folded in 2012. The Demons also qualified for the state championship this year.
“Starting some of these programs has cut into our own pool of kids, but that’s okay. It’s all about spreading the positives that come with FIRST,” said Orzechowski.
Orzechowski touched on those positives that spread well beyond the technical skills learned.
“It forces kids to articulate what they know and share ideas. We have a lot of smart kids; at one point we had five valedictorians, but they don’t always know how to share their ideas. If you can’t articulate your idea, it’s as bad as not knowing it. The teamwork that is required for FIRST helps build those skills.”
“Robotics is a great opportunity for the kids to learn teamwork. It truly is a team sport,” said Code Red director Ken Orzechowski.
“Starting some of these programs has cut into our own pool of kids, but that’s okay. It’s all about spreading the positives that come with FIRST,” said Orzechowski.