Connected in more ways then one (Congratulations to Nadine Stallworth-Tibbs)

Their competition done and trophies awaiting presentation, some FIRSTers relax with a line dance

Posted: Sunday, 22 March 2009 12:13PM

Ypsi, Detroit, Warren Win FIRST District Event

A coalition of Willow Run High School, Detroit Osborn University High School and the Warren Consolidated Schools took first place Satuday at the Detroit District tournament of the FIRST Robotics competition.

Two days of 80 seeding matches among 40 teams led to best-of-three-match quarterfinals involving eight three-team coalitions. The survivng four coalitions moved on to best-of-three-match semifinals. Winners there moved on to the best-of-three-match final.

The competing teams packed Wayne State University's Matthaei Center 2,000-seat gymnasium for the competiton and used its practice gyms for the pit area.

The winning coalition bested a three-team group from Madison Heights Bishop Foley High School, the Redford Township-based Michigan Technical Academy and Southgate Anderson High School.

The team from Willow Run also won the top non-competition award, the Regional Chairman's Award. This award is generally considered the most prestigious in FIRST and deals mainly with spreading passion about science and technology to the winner's community and school. The Regional Engineering Inspiration Award went to Team 440, the Cody High School team.

The national FIRST organization is experimenting this year with a new competition structure in Michigan, featuring a larger number of district competitions that are restricted to Michigan teams only, district competition that draw a relatively smaller number of competitors than FIRST's traditional regional competition that are open to teams from virtually anywhere. The idea is to cut travel expenses and give teams a chance to compete in more events closer to home. All of the teams competing Saturday hailed from within a half hour's drive of Wayne State.

The FIRST Michigan competition continues with district events Friday and Saturday in Troy and Grand Rapids, followed by the state championships April 2-4 at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.

FIRST (For Inspriation and Recognition of Science and Technology) was established in the late 1980s by New Hampshire inventor Dean Kamen, creator of the Segway scooter. The competition involves teams of mentors (corporate employees, teachers, or college students) and high school students who collaborate to design and build a robot in six weeks. This robot is designed to play a game, which is designed by a FIRST committee and changes from year to year. This game is announced at a nationally simulcast kickoff event in January.

This year's game involves robots towing trailers -- robots designed to pick up balls and place the balls in the trailer of a competitor's robot. Team members are also allowed to toss balls into competitors' trailers from designated spots around the competition field. The balls have different point values depending on their color and when in the competition they're placed in the competitor's trailer.

Yours truly had the privilege of serving as master of ceremonies for Saturday's event.

Also, I wanted to mention that you FIRST Robotics fans can now vote for FIRST Teacher of the Year at www.wwj.com/pages/1843943.php. The poll allows voting once per day, and voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. We'll present the Teacher of the Year award in April.