Orchard Lake Takes First Place In Third OCCRA

It's the Wall Ball Fall! The third competition of the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association (OCCRA) was held Saturday, Nov. 6 at Royal Oak High School. OCCRA's 20 teams (representing 23 high schools and one Oakland Schools Technical Campus) played their second Wall Ball Fall Up & Over game of the season.

OCCRA robots place 10" playground balls onto the opponents' playing field. Teams also score points by allowing their robots to hang from steel bars on the game field. The tournament structure randomly pairs robots from two different schools in an "alliance" against two robots from an opposing alliance.

Teams from Birmingham Seaholm/Groves, Brandon, Brother Rice and Marian High Schools, Clawson, Detroit Catholic Central, North Farmington, Holly, International Academy, Lamphere, Notre Dame Prep, Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast, Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep, Pontiac, Rochester Adams/Stoney Creek, Roeper School, Royal Oak, South Lyon, University High School Academy of Southfield, Walled Lake Northern, and Waterford Kettering competed in the second tournament of the season.
Awards were presented to:

* First Place – Top Score 156 Points: Team # 9 Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep
* Second Place – Score 150 Points: Team #3302 Clawson High School
* Third Place – Score 148 Points: Team # 51 Pontiac High School
* Beautiful Bot Award: Team # 51 Pontiac High School
* Spirit of the Competition Award: Team # 469 International Academy
* Technical Excellence Award: Team # 2960 Birmingham Groves/Seaholm High Schools
* Strategic Design Award: Team # 573 Brother Rice and Marian High Schools
* Quality Award: Team # 1188 Royal Oak High School
* Judge's Awards: Team # 13098 Waterford Kettering and Team # 33 Notre Dame Prep
* VEX Award: Team # 25 Brandon High School

This is a full contact robotics competition, where students control their 120 pound creations as they clash on the court of play. OCCRA robots play rough and some damage will surely occur but, unlike "Battlebots," the rules prohibit teams from intentionally damaging another machine. In addition to the large robots, teams also use smaller VEX robots for part of the game.

Competitive robotics generates enthusiasm for technical and academic disciplines such as design, engineering, physics, and electronics. The high-energy OCCRA competitions provide recognition and encouragement for students who are devoting their time and energy to this academic activity. Furthermore, OCCRA participants have the opportunity to learn more about the diverse technical career options available in our county and state.

All OCCRA tournaments are free and open to the public. Remaining competition dates and sites this year include:

* Thursday, Nov. 11, Birmingham Tournament – Birmingham Seaholm High School, 6 p.m.
* Saturday, Nov. 20, County Championship – Holly High School, 9 a.m.

OCCRA is administered by Oakland Schools and supported by the Oakland Schools Education Foundation. This assistance is made possible through the generosity and support of area businesses and individuals. Current corporate sponsors include: DTE Energy Foundation, Chrysler, Delphi Automotive Systems, Denso International America, Inc., General Motors Powertrain, and SMC Pneumatics.

For more information on OCCRA, please contact Terri Kroll, OCCRA Coordinator, Oakland Schools at (248) 209-2432. You can also get more information on OCCRA by visiting the OCCRA website at www.oakland.k12.mi.us/Default.aspx?tabid=535.

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