North Bay FIRST Robotics, with committee Co-chair, Chris Minor and Tournament Director, Don McGrath, held a kick off event this week at Nipissing University to promote its upcoming North Bay FIRST Robotics Competition.
This year, the North Bay event will host 32 teams from across the province and the state of Michigan, in a competition pitting teams of three robots each, against one another. The event will take place at the Surtees Athletic Centre from the evening of Friday, March 21 to late Sunday, March 23.
"FIRST Robotic Competitions foster team building with a focus on science and technology, personal growth through hands-on technical exploration, a field of robot action elimination game, community outreach," according to a release.
The kickoff event was held to outline competition criteria and reveal this year’s competition game REEFSCAPE.
Minor noted “This event draws 800 to 1,000 people to the city and to Nipissing University and does a fantastic job of showcasing all North Bay has to offer.”
Representing Platinum sponsor Redpath, Yves Benoit stated that “So the most important part to me is how I've noticed that the team and the organization as a whole, is a magnet for bright minds. So it's not just that you develop the bright minds, it’s that it attracts them and then you can build them. That's very, very important and very unique to FIRST Robotics.”
The competition will be open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend. Best viewing times will be during Saturday matches from 11:30 to late afternoon, and from Sunday 9:30 am to late afternoon.