For the first time in six years of competing, the Niles robotics team, Ground Zero, will advance to the FIRST Robotics state competition Wednesday through Saturday in Saginaw. To get there, they need some support from the community to raise $5,000 to cover the cost of the entry fee and travel expenses.
Over the past six weeks, the community-based team made of 15 high schoolers and middle schoolers, has been working to bring their robot “Norbit” to life at the Brandywine Innovation Academy — their laboratory. The team is mentored by Meg and Dave Edwards, of Niles.
After touring Eagle Technologies in Bridgman on Thursday, which is sponsoring the team for $1,000, students met back at the lab and showed off all “Norbit” can do.
Despite a few battle scars, including a bent base plate sustained after two competitions, “Norbit” can travel at a speed of 13 mph, launch multiple balls into the air, pick up gears with a metal claw and climb a rope.
For those unfamiliar with the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics competition, the international challenge is likened to the atmosphere of a top-notch sporting event, with the stands packed with fans, each cheering a robot and its team out on the field. This year, more than 3,500 students worldwide are competing.
Each year, students are assigned a different challenge complete with a different theme. This year, the theme is steam works and students must help a hypothetical steam ship get off the ground, using primarily their robot. Judged for speed and accuracy, the robot must load fuel pods, pick up gears and climb a rope to the “ship” for a speedy getaway.
Students are also eligible for more than $50 million in scholarships through the FRC competition.
Ground Zero students placed second at the district competition March 11 in St. Joseph and third at the district competition April 1 in Kentwood, Michigan, earning them a place of 87th out of 450 competitors statewide. The team found out Saturday that they qualify for the state competition.
For Ground Zero students it is about more than the competition. The experience has allowed them to learn skills that are not available in the average high school or middle school classroom.
“We just toured Eagle Technologies and that showed us how much manufacturing is growing,” said Niles’ Sam Jager, 17. “There is not as much manufacturing education and robotics is a great way to learn to design and build all sorts of things that the world needs.”
Fourteen-year-old Patrick Hunt, of Berrien Springs, said throughout the competition, he learned how to be a better team member.
“For me personally it has been a really great experience that has helped me to grow as a person,” Hunt said. “I have been able to learn to work with people a lot better through this program. [As well as] building on things like personal integrity.”
Now with the chance to go to state, Ground Zero teammates and “Norbit” will have the chance to represent their southwest Michigan communities among 160 other qualifying teams from across the state.
“You get a lot of self-confidence when you have a challenge that you are able to overcome as a team,” Hunt said. “It just builds so much self-confidence and friendship, too. We are all friends and we work together and have fun doing it.”
Those who choose to donate or sponsor the team’s cause will have their logo featured on the robot and in the team pit.

To help:
To donate, contact team mentor Meg Edwards at (269) 591-2231, emeggke@sbcglobal.net. Or give on FlipGive.com: https://goo.gl/DzKLT2

Team members:
• Marcus Hurt
• David Heiser
• Patrick Hunt
• Michael Kaufmann
• Christian Hall
• MacKensie Bergan
• Nick Needham
• Sam Jager
• Drew Jager
• Sam Kurtzweil
• Sarah Dunnem
• Lexi Ziebarth
• Conor McKiernan
• Tristan Millar
• Katherine Smith