By: Mike Selkirk
Black Magic Robotics, or Team 237, is the robotics team that operates here at WHS. Students work to build a specialized robot for a unique game every year with the help of mentors, each of whom work in STEM fields. This year, Black Magic had its first 2020 competition on the weekend of March 6th and performed quite well, placing tied with one other team for 4th, out of the 36 teams that attended. This left the whole team excited for the rest of the season, prior to all events being cancelled as a result of the coronavirus. Each year the team competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The league is made up of thousands of teams from around the world that each build a unique robot over a period of six or more weeks called “build season.” For Team 237, “build season” consists of meeting every week night from 5pm to 9pm and occasional weekend meetings from 9am to 5pm to work on the robot. Following “build season” the teams compete in qualifying tournaments, where the winners of which move on to District Championships then World Championships, the latter of which is in Detroit. Team 237 has made it all the way to World Championships two years in a row now, with this year looking just as promising. This year Black Magic’s captains are Robby Mitchell and Tucker Doolan, both seniors at WHS. When asked about their role this year they responded saying that they love “to oversee how the build process is run” and, “it’s humbling to be helping the freshman learn about robotics.” Both Robby and Tucker plan on going to college, for Education and Aerospace Engineering respectively. The team has allowed them to “gain leadership qualities over the four years on the team,” as well as valuable engineering experience. More information about the FIRST Robotics Competition can be found at https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc and for those interested in the team Tucker and Robby said the following, “If you’re not invested then the intense six week build season will drain you. But if you’re invested then it is a very rewarding experience.” Additionally, “the team will allow you to gain very valuable experience for your future.”
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