‘Gracious professionalism’ on display once again at FIRST Robotics tournament

On Saturday, Average Joes of St. Joseph High School took home the FIRST Robotics District Championship alongside Hemlock’s Gray Matter and St. Clair’s Team Flurb.

As the tournament reached a dramatic conclusion with the three-team alliance coming back from down 0-1 in the best-of-three championship series, the atmosphere was akin to March Madness for the students, families and friends in attendance.

“I’ve never been in that room when it’s been that loud for a basketball game,” said longtime judge advisor and Robotics Roundtable host Tim Dunaj. “It’s the excitement of a sporting event, but more of these kids are going to go pro.”

FIRST Robotics events are about more than just competition, though. They are a place where young people come together to develop skills and relationships that will last a lifetime, according to Dunaj.

The culture of FIRST Robotics Competition is built around two values – “Gracious Professionalism” and “Coopertition” – that emphasize the competitive nature of sports, but also instilling empathy and respect for other teams. These values are enforced during three-team alliance competitions where groups must work together for a common goal.

“What you learn through that process is ‘I need to work with you, so I need to have a good relationship with you,’” Dunaj said. “There’s no more goodwill anywhere than at an event like this. The feeling of working together and coming together for a little bit greater of a cause is such a positive feeling.”

During competition, East Grand Rapids used their robot to help up another team’s robot that had tipped over. When Average Joes robot fell over, their alliance teammates banded together to earn a win for the team during qualification matches. These displays of sportsmanship are what FIRST Robotics is all about, Dunaj said.

“Continuously throughout the event, gracious professionalism is on display,” Dunaj said. “From students and team mentors thanking you to one team seeing another team having a difficult time and helping them in their pit. It’s just become expected at this point and it was everything I expected once again.”

What’s next?

While the St. Joseph-hosted district competition is over, teams across the state will continue to compete for a chance to qualify for the FIRST in Michigan State Championship April 6-8 at Saginaw Valley State University.

In the meantime, most local teams will compete in a second district competition. Teams earn points toward state qualification by advancing in the district tournament and winning awards at the competitions. After the district events conclude, the top 160 teams will head to the state championship.

Until then, the teams will be hard at work to improve their robots and strategy.

“You have the micro adjustments that are being made throughout the weekend, and now today they’re going to figure out what changes they can make to be ready for the next competition,” Dunaj said. “The whole reason we’re doing this is for them to come up with a concept, run the concept and then fix the issues if they fail. That’s the learning process the students get exposed to.”

Dunaj is set to host a full recap during the Robotics Roundtable, which airs Tuesday on WSJM. For next week’s show, Dunaj said the show is brining in Team 4855 Ramageddon from South Haven.

For more on FIRST Robotics, visit firstinmichigan.us/FRC/. To see more of our coverage, follow the links below: