On March 8 and 9, the robotics team competed in their first district event of the season at St. Joseph high school in St. Joseph, MI.

FRC 5980 built a robot to undertake Destination: Deep Space, the 2019 game challenge sponsored by Boeing. The robotics attempt to successfully handle the multiple challenges of a space environment by placing hatch panels and loading fuel into their rockets.

The team also chose St. Joseph as their first venue last year. This year, the team was chosen for the fifth alliance by FRC 85 B.O.B. (Built On Brains) from Zeeland and FRC 5152 the Alotobots from Otsego. They lost in the quarterfinals after two matches against the fourth alliance captained by FRC 3688 the EngiNERDs. In the qualification matches, FRC 5980 was ranked 24th out of 40 with 7 wins and 5 losses. During the event, FRC 5980 had the opportunity to compete with and against FRC 2767 Stryke Force, a multiple FRC world champion winning team.

At the end of the month (March 22-24) FRC 5980 will face more capable opponents and potential allies at the West Michigan district event at Grand Valley State University in Allendale. This event is much closer so make sure to come out and support your local robotics team!