Team 5150, Kearsley’s Hybrid Hornets, are in Grand Rapids Thursday, April 14, competing for the state championship.

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is hosting the Michigan championship at the Deltaplex Arena in Grand Rapids from Thursday, April 14 through Saturday, April 16.

Junior Dylan McIntire is ambitious about the team’s odds at the championship.

“I think we’re going to do pretty well in Grand Rapids,” McIntire said. “All of the teams there are good, so we have pretty nice odds of getting a good alliance.”

Teams compete in groups called alliances, meaning that to succeed all members must work together. This can lead to difficulties and low scores, as the Hornets experienced in the Marysville district competition.

McIntire is also eager for a new part installed on the robot, nicknamed “Sir Buzzbee of Robotis.”

“We installed a new auton (autonomous command code) that should really improve how the bot performs without a driver,” McIntire said.

Anyone hoping to keep up with the competition live can download the FRC Spyder app, which is updated with scores as the event progresses.

The Hornets will hope to advance to the FRC Championship Event, held in St. Louis, Mo., starting Wednesday, April 27.