By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
MONROE—After VEX Robotics held its state championships for middle school and high school teams the previous two weeks, it was time for the elementary teams to take center stage.
The VEX IQ State Championship took place at Monroe County Community College on Saturday, March 2. And a team sponsored by the Plainwell Robotics Club was among the participants.
The KoalaBots—comprised of students from Plainwell Community Schools’ Cooper Elementary—placed 22nd after eight qualifying rounds before finishing ninth in the final round.
“It was a very successful day for the KoalaBots,” Plainwell Robotics Club communications coordinator Lisa Cook said.
The KoalaBots, together with their alliance partner, achieved the fifth-highest score of the day out of a total of 232 matches. They also placed 19th in the Skills Competition.
A total of 58 teams participated in the tournament.
The KoalaBots—which is made up of fourth grader Carter Palme along with fifth graders Parker Dahlquist and Lucille Morse—actually double qualified for the State Championship.
One way the team qualified was by earning the Excellence Award during competition season. The Excellence Award is the highest honor bestowed on teams in VEX Robotics.
The KoalaBots also quailed by earning a Teamwork Second Place Award at a previous competition.
John Morse served as coach of the team.