Seaholm Wins Beautiful Bot Award at Robotics Tournament

The second competition of the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association (OCCRA) was held on Oct. 27 at the .

OCCRA’s 20 teams (representing 22 high schools and two Oakland Schools Technical Campuses) played their second Tic-Tac-Stack game of the season. OCCRA robots place 8.5” playground balls into different size structures. The tournament structure randomly pairs robots from two different schools in an “alliance” against two robots from an opposing alliance.

Teams from and , Brandon, Brother Rice and Marion, Clawson, Detroit Catholic Central, North Farmington, Holly, International Academy, Lamphere, Notre Dame Prep, Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep, Pontiac High School, Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek, Roeper, Royal Oak, South Lyon Schools, University High School Academy of Southfield Public Schools, Waterford Kettering, and West Bloomfield competed in the third tournament on the season. Awards were presented to:

• First Place (82 points): Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek High Schools
• Second Place (80 points): Royal Oak High School
• Third Place (71 points): Notre Dame Prep
• Beautiful Bot Award: Seaholm High School
• Spirit of the Competition Award: Rochester Adams and Stoney Creek High Schools
• Technical Excellence Award: Pontiac High School
• Strategic Design Award: Notre Dame Prep
• Quality Award: South Lyon High Schools
• Judge’s Awards: Catholic Central High School and Lamphere High School
• VEX Award: International Academy Central

This is a full contact robotics competition, where students control their 120-pound creations as they clash on the court of play. OCCRA robots play rough and some damage will surely occur, but unlike “Battlebots,” the rules prohibit teams from intentionally damaging another machine. In addition to the large robots, teams also use smaller VEX robots for part of the game.

Competitive robotics generates enthusiasm for technical and academic disciplines such as design, engineering, physics, and electronics. The high-energy OCCRA competitions provide recognition and encouragement for students who are devoting their time and energy to this academic activity. Furthermore, OCCRA participants have the opportunity to learn more about the diverse technical career options available in our county and state.

All OCCRA tournaments are free and open to the public. Remaining competition dates and sites this year include:

• Nov. 5: Diversity Showcase Tournament, Brandon High School (9 a.m.)
• Nov. 10: Birmingham Tournament, Seaholm High School (6 p.m.)
• Nov. 19: County Championship, Holly High School (9 a.m.)
• Nov. 30: Awards Banquet, Oakland Schools Conference Rooms (5:30 p.m.)