By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
One of the Plainwell Robotics Club’s middle school teams is enjoying a longer-than-expected season.
Team W.H.A.M.—comprised of Mai Nguyen, Hiro Nguyen, William Bartels and Adrian Dodds—competed at the Middle School VRC Tipping Point Michigan State Championships at Monroe County Community College on Saturday, March 5.
The team, which received a late invitation to the competition thanks to a high Skills score they recorded at an earlier event, placed 22nd in a field of 33 teams after the qualifying rounds. Team W.H.A.M. was then invited to join an alliance with the 12th-place team, with that alliance losing in the round of 16 to one of the eventual finalists.
And there is one more competition to come for Team W.H.A.M.
After receiving the Design Award at a tournament earlier this season, the team has been invited to participate in the 2022 CREATE U.S. Open Robotics Championship in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the end of March.
Also on Saturday, March 5, the PRC’s four drone teams participated in the Second Annual Plainwell Robotics Club MS/HS REC Foundation Aerial Drone Competition Tournament.
“Congratulations to all of these talented and dedicated robotics students and their coaches,” Plainwell Robotics Club director Joe Gentile said.