The best high school robotics teams in the world will face off this week, and two of those teams are from Mid-Michigan.
Teams from across the globe are converging on St. Louis, Missouri for the world competition. Check in begins today, and you'll see Mason and East Jackson High Schools among the ranks.
Claiming a spot in the world competition is a first for both teams.
"It's awesome that we could represent the whole county for the first time at worlds," says East Jackson's team captain Alexander Stairs.
The "First Championship" is a medieval test of their skills.
"You have to basically breach these defenses which the enemy team decides, and then score boulders, which are giant foam balls into a tower," says Stairs.
These students will compete against the best of the best not only from the U.S., but from across the globe. The teams tell me they are ready.
"We are all extremely excited," says Hannah Chrome, a junior at Mason, "because we have never...even gone to states before, so to figure out that we are going to world's, it was crazy."
It's a big accomplishment, especially moving on from the state level here in Michigan with some of the best high school robotics teams around.
"There's a, a high level of manufacturing in Michigan, automotive, automation engineering, robots are huge," says Troy Wancha, one of East Jackson's team mentors.
It's a chance to show off their skills, and compete on a huge stage.
The competition really begins Thursday.
A lot of this wouldn't have been possible without help from local sponsors like Dart or Accubilt in Jackson, to name just a few.
To learn more about the teams or help them on their trip to worlds, contact the high school.
