Michigan State Champs

Competition District Events
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Since there doesn’t seem to be an MSC thread yet, thought I’d start one.

2018 was quite the unexpected MSC.

  • An ice storm almost affected the schedule.
  • We had Dean Kamen, Don Bossi, Gov. Rick Snyder, and a singer for the national anthem who had competed on American Idol
  • Field issues delayed the interdivisional playoffs until the very end.
  • 5 of the 7 final teams had never been to the MSC finals matches.
  • And the Upper Peninsula had its first State Finalist (4392 The Deceivers from Brimley) and its first State Champion (2586 Copper Bots from Calumet).
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Maybe not unexpected, but not usual, either:

The winners advanced through five rounds of three matches each. They won it the hard way, 10-5. Congratulations 4003-3098-2586! Your alliance fought every step of the way.

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MSC was truly a wonderful event. Competition was fierce. The 4 fields ran on schedule for the most part. Congrats to the winners.

The pits were same as last year, which is a great set up.

How many places can you have 160 teams compete, have an ice storm and still pull it off.

Here is a view during the final day opening ceremony.

[Album] First MSC 2018

It also didn’t hurt that we placed 4th in our division, raised our state ranking from 108 to 49th and earned enough points to make it to CMP in Detroit.:wink:

5

The 2018 MSC was an incredible event. Organizing a 161-team event can’t be easy, but the event ran smoothly and everyone had a great time. Thank you to everyone involved, especially all the volunteers who made it fun for our students. Throughout the competition season, I see some of the same volunteers every week. Please know how much you are appreciated.

We can’t say enough great things about our alliance partners, The Captains 3098 and The CopperBots 2586. After playing 15 matches together in one day, and facing elimination in 9 of them, they feel more like brothers and sisters. We got to know each other really well and were able to work together to adapt our strategy during matches. This was the kind of unique experience for our students that only FIRST provides.

We thought that, if we were going to win the event, we needed to get two cubes onto the scale in every match. We were so happy that 3098, with their reliable two-cube left-side auto and the best buddy climber on the Ford field, was available. They’ve also got a fast intake and lift and place cubes on the scale precisely. 2586 was a great all-around bot for playing the vault, defending our switch, and blocking off our opponents’ lane to the portal.

We have a huge amount of respect for all the other alliances we faced. Besides being awesome competitors, they showed gracious professionalism at every turn.

Congratulations to all the Chairman’s winners. While it’s great to see some perennial winners, it’s also cool to see a couple of new faces in the crowd. You definitely inspire us to keep working.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Detroit next week!

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