Our second FIRST Robotics district competition will be at Traverse City Central High School. This will be a great event for island fans to attend. 
Here is a map to the competition site: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Traverse+City+Central+High+School/@44.7674623,-85.5901272,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x881fd2a7a3a47717:0x8eec89c4d972e453!8m2!3d44.7674585!4d-85.5879385
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. Team members and parents, please check our Discord site for hotel and travel details.
Unfortunately, we need to cancel plans for our summer robotics plant. Our mentors and students are over-subscibed with work and projects this summer, so we will not have time to organize a full camp. We are working to plan a two-day “get to know robotics” session later in August or September for students on the island. Please visit our website at birobot.org for more information.
We plan to resume our robotics camp next summer!
Join us for a 2024 season kick-off event in the robot lab at BICS. We’ll watch the kick-off show live streamed for FIRST HQ and then begin work on planning our 2022 robot. We’ll wrap things up with a traditional pizza party at about 1:30 p.m. over at the BIC Center.
If you aren’t able to join us at BICS, you can join on our Discord server or on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87601760989?pwd=bzdiaFJOMWF5SjE3b3dYVUJuT3VrUT09
Meeting ID: 876 0176 0989 | Passcode: [our team number]| One tap mobile: +13126266799,,87601760989# or +13092053325,,87601760989#
This year, the theme of the competition is CRESCENDO presented by Haas. FIRST® Robotics Competition teams will use their engineering skills and creative power to entertain and move the world.
Watch the kickoff celebration and debut of CRESCENDO, January 6 on FIRSTtv. Sign up now for a tune-in reminder
Lights, camera, STEAM! Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) inspire big ideas, bold action – and creativity. Our skills make it possible to create art and experiences that bring us together, entertain us, and move us. During our 2023-2024 arts-inspired robotics season, FIRST® IN SHOWSM presented by Qualcomm, we will celebrate the roles our STEM skills play in the arts and design and build a world of endless possibilities.
The future is yours to create.
Our first competition event for 2026 is at Lake Superior State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: Map. The FIRST event information page is here. Information from the event organizers (including a map of the venue) is here. We are still making hotel arrangements.
We are looking forward to a campus tour and a great event at LSSU. This is our third time competing at this FIRST in Michigan District venue. LSSU has great facilities for the event and, with the first robotics program offered in the state, has many programs that might be of interest to our team members and fellow Island students when they finish up at BICS. You can learn more about Ferris State at ferris.edu.
Important Schedule & Venue Notes: The team will “pit in” (set up our pit, get our robot event configured and inspected, and test it on the local field) starting at 5:00 p.m. on March 26th and will leave the Island that morning. We will return on Sunday. The competition rounds begin Friday morning with an opening ceremony at 10:00 and will continue through 7:00 p.m. or so that evening. They will resume at 9:00 Saturday morning and conclude at 5:00 or so that evening. Parking at LSSU requires a parking pass. Please download, print and bring along a copy of the pass. Team members participating must have their parents sign a consent for FIRST in Michigan. Please download, sign and get it to school before we depart. (This is in addition to the consent for FIRST global you sign electronically.)
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. You can keep up with our progress at events and find links to watch us live on TheBlueAlliance.com. More information about our school is at BeaverIsland.k12.mi.us. You can learn about our Island home at BeaverIsland.org and BeaverIslandHistory.org. And, you can hear the Voice of Beaver Island at WVBI.net.
Our first competition event for 2024 is at Lake Superior State University University.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/”/650+W+Easterday+Ave,+Sault+Ste.+Marie,+MI+49783/@46.4913626,-84.3693268,16z/data=!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x4d363976276906e3:0xb0dbf488fcbe3806!2m2!1d-84.3641769!2d46.4913627?entry=ttu. We’ve competed at LSSU before and look forward to returning there this year.
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. Team members and parents, please check our Discord site for hotel and travel details.
Macomb Community College
Our second competition event for 2024 is hosted by Macomb Community College at Sterling Heights High School. More information about the venue is here: https://firstinmichigan.us/FRC/mimcc/.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: Google Maps. NOTE: The competition location is at Sterling Heights High School, not at the college (even though Macomb Community College is the host for this event). This will be our first trip to this venue. We look forward to the opportunity to see the college and community.
If you are not able to attend in person, you can watch online at this link: https://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires35. Our playing times will be determined late Friday and posted on our page on thebluealliance.com.
Sterling Heights High School
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. Team members and parents, please check our Discord site for hotel and travel details.
Here is the current schedule:
We are working on plans for our summer robotics camp. Right now, it looks like we will have enough older students to be mentors and run the camp. We plan to run a mini FRC season (in a week) and use VEX VR and the related physical robots for the competition.
Check back in May for final details and sign-up information.
A building on the Niagara College Welland campus
Our first competition event for 2025 is at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario, Canada.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: Map. The event web page is here. The schedule is here. The FIRST event information page is here.
We our looking forward to competing in Canada. This is our first trip to an event outside the FIRST in Michigan District.
Important Note: Unlike past years where all events ran on Fridays and Saturdays, this year some events are running on Saturdays and Sundays. This is one of those events. We will pit in on Friday evening, compete on Saturday and Sunday, and travel home on Monday.
We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 224 Power Drive, Welland, Ontario L3B 5N4. Their number is 905-735-9999. It is less than a 10 minute drive away from the competition site. Additional information about the event is here: https://birobot.org/niagara-college-2025-event-details/
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. You can keep up with our progress at events and find links to watch us live on TheBlueAlliance.com. More information about our school is at BeaverIsland.k12.mi.us. You can learn about our Island home at BeaverIsland.org and BeaverIslandHistory.org. And, you can hear the Voice of Beaver Island at WVBI.net.
Niagara College has created t-shirts to commemorate the event. They cost $15(CAN) each and may be purchased only at the event.
Here is a detailed schedule for the event:
Download the schedule: https://firstroboticscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025_ONWEL_AGENDA.docx.pdf
Action at last year’s Berrien Springs event
Our second competition event for 2025 is at Berrien Springs High School in Berrien Springs, Michigan. We will load into the site, set up our pit and complete robot inspection on March 14th starting at 5:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies for the event begin at 10:00 a.m. on the 15th.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: Map. More information about the event including a full agenda are here. Watch us live on this FRC Twitch Channel 34. Miss a match or want to see current standings? Check us out on The Blue Alliance.com. There you will find videos of our past matches (including for the Niagara College event) as well as scores and information about upcoming matches.
We are looking forward to traveling from America’s Emerald Isle to Berrien Springs High School, home of the Shamrocks! This is our first time competing at this FIRST in Michigan District venue.
Important Note: Unlike past years where all events ran on Fridays and Saturdays, this year some events are running on Saturdays and Sundays. This is one of those events. We will pit in on Friday evening, compete on Saturday and Sunday, and travel home on Monday.
The team will stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1300 Cinema Way Benton Harbor, MI 49022.
Here are the schedule for the event as well as a venue map:
Download the schedule here. Parking information is here. Download the venue map here. If you’d like to visit us in the pits, you’ll find us in the the southeast corner of the east pit area.
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. You can keep up with our progress at events and find links to watch us live on TheBlueAlliance.com. More information about our school is at BeaverIsland.k12.mi.us. You can learn about our Island home at BeaverIsland.org and BeaverIslandHistory.org. And, you can hear the Voice of Beaver Island at WVBI.net.
Ferris State University Campus
Our third competition event for 2025 is at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Here is a link to a map to the competition site: Map. The FIRST event information page is here. The team is staying at the Holiday Inn Express Big Rapids.
We are looking forward to a campus tour and a great event at Ferris State. This is our first time competing at this FIRST in Michigan District venue.
You can find out more about FIRST and BICS’s FRC Team #6098 bIrobot at birobot.org. You can keep up with our progress at events and find links to watch us live on TheBlueAlliance.com. More information about our school is at BeaverIsland.k12.mi.us. You can learn about our Island home at BeaverIsland.org and BeaverIslandHistory.org. And, you can hear the Voice of Beaver Island at WVBI.net.
