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Alpena teams compete against each other

Team 5505, V2 Robotics, with their First Robotics District Event Competition winner banner on Saturday at Alpena High School. The team is now going to the Michigan State Championship this weekend at Saginaw Valley State University along with Alpena Team 5230, The Resistance.

ALPENA — On Saturday in Bots on the Bay Alpena District Competition at Alpena High School, both Alpena teams, Team 5505, V2 Robotics, and Team 5230, The Resistance, made history as both teams competed against each other with their respective alliances in the finals.

It was the first time in FIRST Robotics history that two teams from the host school competed against one another in the finals. Before the finals matchup began, all six teams in the finals shook hands and wished each other luck.

Members from Team 5505 were excited to make history and compete against Team 5230 in the finals.

“It was bit of a rivalry so it felt a little good for us,” senior Matthew Hautea said. “We respect them as a team and we were looking forward to the matchup.”

Senior Tyler Smigelski said everyone was happy with how both teams competed.

“It was just kind of neat to see that both the host teams from the city could go and compete,” Smigelski said.

Team 5230 members agreed that competing against the other Alpena team was exciting.

“I really liked going out there and shaking their hands. That was a really good feeling because it meant that both of us were successful and really that’s more important than winning every single match,” sophomore Emeline Hanna said. “It’s about being successful and learning a lot of things so it was like friendly competition and it was kind of interesting because it’s never really happened before so it was really nice.”

Junior Elizabeth Belanger said it was fun going against the other Alpena team because it meant that one of the teams was going to win.

“I think it was more stressful because both of our teams are like ‘yeah this is our tournament’, but I think it was good and not really bad at all, like there was competition there,” she said.

AHS teacher and Alpena coach Melissa Doubek said she was excited to see both teams compete in the finals.

“Both teams have worked hard this season and I was excited that 5230 had the opportunity to play in the finals and build their confidence as a young group of kids to be the alliance captains and go up against their fellow Wildcats in the finals,” Doubek said.

Doubek said she wasn’t nervous because the finals were a win-win situation for Alpena.

“I was just excited because one of the teams was going home with a blue banner,” she said.

Along with competing against each other in the finals, Team 5505 won the Engineering Inspiration Award and Team 5230 won the Entrepreneurship Award.

Team 5505 was already qualified for the Michigan State Championship after winning the Chairman’s Award at a previous competition and Team 5230 will be joining them after their performance this weekend. The Michigan State Championship is this weekend at Saginaw Valley State University.

“We’re going to make improvements and be ready for the competition,” Hautea said. “There will be a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what we’re going to do, but I think we’re definitely ready as a team.”

Smigelski said Team 5505 plans to go out and compete against the best of the best. He said the team will get together as a group and figure out what they are going to do with scouting and the competition overall and figuring out what improvements they would have to make.

Hanna said there is an opportunity depending on how well the teams do at the state championship, to move on and advance to the FIRST World Championships, which are in Detroit on April 25-28.

“We’re hoping to continue on and keep winning matches and everything,” she said. “Even after our season is done, we’ll continue with our community outreach.”

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.

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