Way to go, LHS O-BOTS!
The Ludington O-Bots (FIRST Robotics Team 7160) returned home as champions after a dominant performance at the FIRST in Michigan District event held at Ferris State University on April 10-12.
The O-Bots squad was also earned the prestigious Judges’ Award.
The O-Bots’ victory in Big Rapids was the culmination of a grueling three-day competition where they faced off against 40 of the top teams from across the region. Joining forces with Team 1918 (Newaygo County GEARS) and Team 5213 (St. Ignace SHIELD), the O-Bots showcased a robot that was as consistent as it was powerful, ultimately sweeping the playoff bracket to claim the event title.
The O-BOTS gave credit to their "Invaluable Advantage" – The UACJ FIRST Robotics Practice Field in Ludington
While the "stick time" and mechanical reliability of the O-Bots' robot were evident on the floor, Team 7160 expressed great appreciation for the community sponsors whose contributions for the UACJ FIRST Robotics Practice Field brought it to life more than a year ago.
Opened in late 2025 through a partnership between UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, the MiSTEM Network, the West Shore ESD, and local community donors, the facility has fundamentally changed how the O-Bots and other area high school robotics teams prepare.
With a full-scale competition field available locally to them, teams and their coaches and engineer mentors can garner significant practice time before their actual FIRST sponsored district match-ups.
Ludington O-Bots assistant coach, Cary Shineldecker, emphasized that the success in Big Rapids would have been significantly harder to achieve without the community-funded facility.
"I cannot even describe how beneficial having the practice field is," said Shineldecker, "Invaluable is the only word for it! Simply invaluable!"
The performance of other area high school teams who used the UACJ facility affirmed this glowing assessment.
The Shelby TigerBytes Team 10654 took 3rd place in District Competition held in Battle Creek.
MCE's CardinalTronics Team 6005 finished 14th out of the 41 teams competing at FSU.
With its top prize honors in district competition, the LHS O-BOTS now possess a high rank in Michigan's FIRST Robotics Circuit and are well-positioned for the State Championship at Saginaw Valley State University at the end of April.
"After just one year, our community-sponsored UACL FIRST Robotics Practice Facility is already paying dividends for area high school robotics teams," said Brian Dotson, MiSTEM Region 9 Director. "The success of the Ludington O-BOTS this year is fantastic – and I'm sure we'll see other area teams capture first place honors in the future, too. But most importantly, our high school robotics students are growing their engineering, robot-building, and collaborative teamwork skills. "
Newaygo County Gears 1918 Head Coach and Ludington O-BOTS Head Coach confer about their robots' defensive and offensive capabilities during the alliance selection heading into the championship rounds.