Howell High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team, the S.C.O.T.S. Bots has qualified for the FRC World Championship.
The team was able to achieve that following last weekend’s FIRST in Michigan State Championship Competition where they finished qualifying matches ranked 22nd in their division. The captain of the second alliance selected the S.C.O.T.S Bots as a member of the alliance for playoff matches. The alliance fought hard and fell just short of reaching the division championship match, ending in third place in their division.
However, the S.C.O.T.S. Bots earned the Team Spirit Award at the State Championship and finished their season in 59th place out of 479 teams, with enough points to advance to the world championship in Houston, Texas, April 19-22.
Qualifying for the FRC World Championship caps off an already successful season for the S.C.O.T.S. Bots. At the St. Joseph Qualifier event, the team earned the Impact Award, the highest honor a team can achieve. The award is presented to the team that best exemplifies the true meaning of FIRST through measurable impact on participants, the school, and the community at large, with an emphasis on promoting science and technology through FIRST programs. On the playing field, the team ended qualification matches in 7th place. They were picked as a member of the fourth alliance and advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated.
At the Troy Qualifier event, the team finished match play in 10th place and was named the captain of the seventh alliance. The team was eliminated in round three of the playoff matches.
In addition to the team’s successes, team member Mary Carstensen was selected by judges as a Dean’s List semi-finalist. The students who earn FIRST Dean’s List Award status as semi-finalists, finalists, or winner, are great examples of student leaders who have led their Teams and communities to increased awareness for FIRST and its mission. These students have also achieved personal technical expertise and accomplishment.
This is the third time in team history that the S.C.O.T.S. Bots. have advanced to the FRC World Championship having qualified for the event in 2018 and 2019.
