Oscoda, MI. Oscoda Area United Way (OAUW) donated $300 to the Oscoda Area Schools Robotics team. The below information has been provided by Robotics Team Member, Axel Raybourn.
The OsCODEa Ow|5 is a self-sufficient robotics team, our grants cover our FIRST season fee and we cover all other costs: competition registrations, hotel rooms, transportation, and meals. Throughout the year, we hold several fundraisers and reach out to patrons in both the school and the community who would like to sponsor us. We aim to make our robotics team open and available for all students who want to join and participate! Much like our rookie year in 2018, this year, Team 7250 has a fantastic chance at making it to our District Championship (at Saginaw Valley State University) and even to the FIRST Championship (Houston, Texas). To make it to our District Championship at SVSU, April 5th-8th, our team would have to pay a $4,000 registration fee for the event and $5,000 for four nights at a hotel. If we keep up our great work and make it past our District Championship, we can qualify for the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, April 19th-22nd. This Championship would average us to about $20,000 which would be an enormous feat but that just shows our confidence in ourselves. If you would be interested in supporting The OsCODEa Ow|5 and our gracious professional endeavors, please consider sponsoring us in our journey to District Championships. As for the FIRST Championship in Houston, we would like to offer a pledge option. Only 60 teams in the State of Michigan advance to FIRST Championships, by offering a sponsorship pledge (Ex. $1,000), if we achieve that accomplishment, we would well be on our way to Texas and it would help us significantly. We look forward to all the success the Ow|5 will bring this year and are Charged Up for our amazing second event.
Our robotics team, “OsCODEa Ow|5 Team 7250” was first started in 2018 with only 9 students. Our Rookie year, our team was immersed with FIRST Robotics and the thrill of competition. With elated success, our rookie team achieved 4 awards, competed in District Championships, and even made it to the FIRST Championship in Detroit! Shortly after, our team went to an off-season event in Alpena and won that too! Then all of a sudden, in 2019, our team was hit with the “Sophomore Slump”. Our team left both of our district events that year with our hearts heavy; we were knocked out in our qualification rounds and unable to bring any awards home. We knew 2020 had to be different… but no one could have predicted Covid-19. After our first promising district event in Kingsford, lockdown shut down all our plans for success and we resorted to virtual meetings. Protocols continued and it didn’t seem like building a robot one mechanic at a time would be possible. As a result, our event in 2021 was made entirely virtual and felt like a shell of what a FIRST competition could be. Filled with nostalgia, we were ecstatic to hear our 2022 season would be back in person! Our team quickly signed up for our two district events and we competed to the best of our ability (despite our year and a half break). Last year, our final event got us into the quarterfinals and gave us just another taste of what we can truly accomplish together. With our rust knocked right off from last year and now 14 members, we were able to perform with flying colors in our latest competition this year at Escanaba (Our first of two district events). Our team strategized, scouted, and repaired in any way possible while also trying to help other teams with their problems and difficulties too. At the end of our event, our team lived up to our potential, made it to finals, ranked 8th, and finished in 4th place! (There were 38 teams there!) Not only that, but we also earned our first award since our rookie year; The Gracious Professionalism Award! As of now, our team is back home working on more reinforcements, programming, and drive practice for our next district event at Lake Superior State University.