Saturday ,October 12 was an exciting time for The Green Machine as Team 1816 attended this year’s Minnesota Robotics Invitational, a small competition intended to give rookies a taste of the competitions as well as kick off the year for returning members. The event took place at Roseville Area High School and was sponsored by FRC Team 2846-The Firebears. Although small, with just thirty teams present (one all the way from Eau Claire, Wisconsin), the MRI was said to be an accurate portrayal of the team spirit, robotic capabilities, and gracious professionalism always evident with FRC. Edina’s robot ZED performed at unfortunately below-optimum levels but was still chosen as a ‘backup’ robot. It was the autonomous program that got the attention of the alliance captain, but the robot’s flashing green Gear Eyes couldn’t have hurt.
Edina’s own Lauren W. received a $500 scholarship sponsored by the Roseville Visitors Association, one of three such scholarships available only to seniors on FRC Teams. All in all, MRI was a great start to The Green Machine’s season, helping members get to know one another more closely, providing a low-stakes but competitive atmosphere and getting the team excited for what promises to be a strong and successful year. Eyes on the Future!