ALPENA — The Alpena High School ROV team finished fifth out of 50 teams at the 2018 MATE International Competition in Seattle, Wash on June 21-23. The finish was the best the team has ever finished in six international appearances. In addition to finishing fifth overall, the team won the Safety Award for practicing safety to the best ability along with the highest safety score.

The competition was held at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington where the teams were evaluated on their engineering and design capabilities.

Team editor and calculations officer Tara Myers stated the experience to compete in internationals was rewarding and the mission this year pushed the team in a press release.

“We were able to rise to the occasion and compete at an elite level while still having fun,” Myers said. “It was also very cool to talk to other teams from around the world and explore the city of Seattle.”

The Alpena team competed against teams different states and countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and more. The competition was held at the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington where the teams were evaluated on their engineering and design capabilities.

Team lead pilot Josh Beatty said after two weeks of practice, everything came together for the team and said they were able to surpass teams that have beaten them in the past.

Team captain Elizabeth Thomson said the team is grateful to have a supportive community because without the community’s support, they wouldn’t have been able to compete and experience the competition.

“It is amazing knowing that we have such a great support system in Alpena,” she said.

Team software programmer Katie Nicholson said the competition helps develop skills for more than just the robotics.

“The underwater robotics competition is an excellent program that educates students for real life experiences,” she said. “By facing realistic obstacles, we have learned how to troubleshoot problems under pressure and how we can impact our community positively.”

Team engineer Savannah Thomson said the competition relies on networking. She said with so many corporations looking for future employers, it’s crucial to talk to anyone and everyone willing to have a conversation.

“Those conversations bring opportunities varying from jobs to sponsors,” she said.