Goodrich High School’s FIRST Robotics Team 70, ‘More Martians,? took home top honors as one of the winning alliance teams at Kettering University FIRST Robotics District Competition in Flint, a two- day contest on March 6 and 7.
‘More Martians? teamed up with Rochester Adams and Midland high schools to win the event. ‘More Martians? Field Coach Ingrid Fiedler was also named safety person of the day.
The game this year, ‘Lunacy,? allows the teams to contend with the laws of physics. What’s different is the floor surface. It’s a low-friction surface, which will increase speed and level of difficulty, said Pat Major, Goodrich Robotics coach.
This year’s robots will pick up nine-inch balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents? robots. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special Super Cell ball in the opponents? trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match.
Robot drivers Danny Green and Paul Johnson were able to successfully pilot the robot through the seeding matches to a fifth place ranking out of a field of 40 teams from across the state. Then in the elimination rounds they took the quarter finals in two straight matches. The semi-finals and the finals both went to three matches, with the ‘More Martians? alliance coming out on top.
‘More Martians? also received the General Motors Industrial Award from a team of 23 judges. Andrew Tallman was scouted as being the best human player at the competition. Goodrich High School’s other team, ‘Martians Team 494,? finished as a quarter finalist.