SHELBY — The local Stellar Robotics team enjoyed another superb performance earlier this month at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland.
Stellar Robotics, the area’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, finished third among 58 teams at the end of qualification matches March 18-19 in Cleveland. That effort has the team tied for first place in the state’s overall rankings.
The team also won the Judges’ Award, which recognizes a team that scores well in all judging categories. Students on the Stellar Robotics team hail from Ontario High School, Mansfield Christian, Lucas High School, homeschools, College Now at NCSC, and Mount Vernon Nazarene dual enrollment.
Students and mentors are hard at work preparing for their next competition in Cincinnati on April 1 and 2. Those interested can watch this event via livestream by going to the team website at www.firstroboticsmansfield.com.
The junior high team also competed the same weekend, at their Super-Regional event in Iowa. FIRST Tech Challenge Team Hercules competed with 72 teams from 13 states in two divisions. While they experienced some technical difficulties in robot-field communications, they still managed to win three of four of their matches.
Team Hercules is finished with their competition season and will now be focusing on outreach and training activities until the start of their second season next fall.
Both teams build at the Kehoe Center in Shelby, which is part of North Central State College. Numerous area industries and businesses support these teams, including ArcelorMittal, Lowe’s, Searchlight, The Regional Manufacturing Coalition, and SJE-Rhombus.
For more information on robotics programs for all ages, contact stellarrobotics@gmail.com or visit the team website at www.firstroboticsmansfield.com.
