MHS robotics team wins district event, likely headed to World Championship!
submitted by Caiden Kippnick
Manchester High School’s robotics team, also known as Team #6081, the Digital Dislocators, was charged up at competition once again in Saline. After a bumpy start, the Digital Dislocators finished their qualification matches in third out of 36 teams with a record of 9–2–1. When teams went to select their alliance partners for playoffs, the odds were stacked heavily against Manchester’s team. As the captain of the third-seeded alliance, they selected Ann Arbor Skyline High School’s team, #3322 Eagle Evolution, and Clinton High School’s team, #8895 Redwolves Robotics, to join them.
After providing assistance to Clinton’s team throughout the season, the Digital Dislocators knew the programming, design, and drivers of Clinton’s robot better than any other team. The inside knowledge gained from mentoring this team came back full circle as they proved to be valuable teammates. With a lot of strategy and part of the Manchester robot broken beyond last-minute repairs in the finals, the three teams worked together to upset the first-seeded alliance and ultimately won the event.
In addition, the Digital Dislocators won the Innovation in Control award, which celebrates the unique electrical, mechanical, and software components of the robot. This award is an incredible honor and shows recognition of the deep dedication of the build, programming, and creativity. The team will be competing again next weekend at the state event at Saginaw Valley State University. Unlike most high school sports, which are split by school size, robotics is not. Impressively, out of about 500 active First Robotics Competition teams in Michigan, Manchester’s is currently ranked 7th in the state.
As a result, the team is certain they will have enough district points after the State Competition to advance to the World Championship in Houston. The team will have just over a week to begin their journey to Texas. Plans are in the works to share a bus with another team. A GoFundMe page has been created to help offset the costs of transportation, food, and lodging. It is estimated to be approximately $16,000 to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event with teams from around the globe. If you are interested in making monetary contributions, visit their GoFundMe page or contact firstrtm@gmail.com. The team’s accomplishments would not have been possible without the generosity of the Manchester community.
Another huge honor awarded to our team at this event was the announcement of the Dean’s List Semi-Finalist. Bodi Foulke, a junior, was nominated by the team and was selected by the judges. He will advance to the state competition, where he will go through another interview with judges, along with a review of essays submitted by the team. This prestigious award recognizes his dedication and crucial role on the team in addition to his academic performance.
In preparation for this event, which covered almost all of spring break, several dedicated team members, mentors, and coaches spent countless hours at their new dedicated space inside Caife Aspire (formerly Ackerson building) and at the Chelsea Robotics Center. The team could not be more grateful for the generosity of Chelsea High School’s team, #1502 Technical Difficulties, for sharing their space where the programmers could fine-tune their programs and other controls, and drivers could gain more experience with other teams on a field similar to a true competition field.
This season has been an adventure and a true show of the hard work and dedication of this group of students, mentors, and coaches. We are happy for the season to be going so well for our seniors, many of whom have been a part of the robotics program since its inception seven years ago. We are excited to see what is in store for the rest of the season!
Photos by Scott Somerville and Daniella Kippnick
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