“The event is going good — we had all robots inspected and ready for the start of competition,” Marie Young said. Young is the event coordinator for the FIRST Robotics District Event; she also serves as the mentor for the Escanaba Robomos.

Lane DeDominicis, a robot designer for the Robomos, agreed with Young’s view of the competition.

“The event has run smoother than usual,” he said. He also stated that set-up for the event had been completed faster than ever this year.

School was in session at Escanaba Senior

Jordan Beck | Daily Press Above, members of the Gladstone BraveBots get ready to put their robot into action during the first day of Escanaba’s annual FIRST Robotics District Event Friday.

High School during much of the FIRST Robotics District Event Friday. Young said this created some challenges, but it also had its benefits.

“Having it on a school day where students who are not part of robotics can see what it offers and all the incredible things that their classmates … can achieve — I think it inspires them,” she said.

About 100 volunteers help keep the FIRST Robotics District Event running.

“We rely on a lot of volunteers to help run the show,” Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Valiquette said. She noted that these volunteers come from both the community and participating teams.

According to DeDominicis, having this event in the area has been a boon for the Robomos and other FIRST teams in the Upper Peninsula.

Jordan Beck | Daily Press A robot built by the 0sCODEa 0w|s participates in Escanaba’s annual FIRST Robotics District Event Friday. Tayton Baraner, the team’s business lead and programmer, said the team built this robot in three weeks.

“(It) is beneficial because surrounding teams don’t have to pay for hotels … because they’re so close,” he said.

However, not all of the teams participating in this year’s FIRST Robotics District Event are from the area. Among the teams that came up from the Lower Peninsula to attend the competition is Alpena-based team The Resistance. Aaron West, the team’s electrical lead, said he has been enjoying his time in the U.P.

“It’s very nice and very open … I love the nature,” he said of the area.

Young said that several of the teams participating in this year’s FIRST Robotics District Event are new to the program.

“We have a lot of rookies,” she said.

One of these teams, the 0sCODEa 0w|5, came to Escanaba from Oscoda. Tayton Baraner, the team’s business lead and programmer, said he was glad to be at the FIRST Robotics District Event.

“Honestly, I’m really excited,” he said.

The 0w|5 have been working hard to get ready for the event, Baraner said. They started working on their robot on Feb. 2.

“We built this robot in three weeks, and I am very proud of what we (have been) able to accomplish,” he said.

Like all other robots at the FIRST Robotics District Event, the 0w|5′ robot has been competing in this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition game — “FIRST Power Up.” In this game, two alliances (consisting of three teams each) compete to be the first to defeat a “boss.”

“It is heavily based on strategy, and the design of your robot (impacts) everything,” West said of FIRST Power Up.

FIRST in Michigan President Gail Alpert, who was in Escanaba for the competition Friday, said she has been consistently pleased with the FIRST Robotics District Event.

“This is always one of our greatest events,” she said.

She also noted that FIRST in Michigan hopes to increase student involvement with robotics in the peninsula.

“We’re pushing forward with getting every single high school in the (U.P.) into FIRST Robotics,” Alpert said.

West said he has been glad to have an opportunity to be a part of FIRST Robotics.

“I love the program — it allows us to get hands-on with … what we learn in school and what we hope to do in the future,” he said.