Robotics Regional Day Two

Teams from around the world compete head to head with their robots.

Day two of the Northern Lights and Lake Superior Regional Robotics Competition is in full gear.

High school teams from around the world have come to see if their bot has what it takes.

The Robotics Regional is more than just gears and parts, it’s about building the mechanisms towards future careers, friendships and more.

Mentor Greg Billetdeaux knows a good robotics match when he sees one.

“I mean robots are really fun,” said Billetdeaux.

He started with the Lego competitions when he was young, graduated to the FIRST Competition, and now is back as a mentor to Team 930.

“Now I come back to make sure these kids have the same opportunity I did when I was in it,” said Billetdeaux.

Now a software engineer, Greg believes his time in the robot world helped him land scholarships and a love for engineering.

“It just kick started everything,” he said.

The robots still roll success towards today’s youth.

“The things that I’ve learned from this experience are endless,” said Duluth East junior Morgan Pirsig.

The one-hundred plus teams come from wall over the Midwest and Australia.

Each team worked on their bot for six weeks before these regionals.

For Esko, they just started their program last year and now they’re number one.

“Coming back this year, we’re currently ranked number one and so it’s a big relief that all of our hard work has come to this,” said Esko senior Hannah Brunfelt.

Each robot needed to clear hurdles and obstacles like the students who created them.

“This will be something I remember for the rest of my life,” said Pirsig.

For Greg and his team, their robot raced away with a victory.

With two regionals under one roof, the double DECCER is one of the largest in the world. 

Teams even came together to form their own student-run press group for coverage on the event, online and on social media.