LAPEER, Michigan – Lapeer FIRST Robotics Team 1684, the Chimeras, took second place in the Bloomfield High School Girls Robotics Competition this month.The team, which was ranked 32nd after September’s Kettering competition, was determined to turn their robot into a contender and worked late every evening for nearly two weeks to remake the bot, said Chimeras Coach Jon Uren.

On Nov. 1, 32 teams from Michigan, Canada and neighboring states competed in elimination matches. By the final rounds, contenders had been reduced to eight teams, which formed two alliances of four teams each. The Chimeras’ alliance partners included alliance captain Team 1501, the Huntington County Robotics Team; Team 2337, the EngiNERDS of Grand Blanc; and Team 5053, the Lakers of Waterford.

Uren attributes the successful outcome to the team’s willingness to re-engineer the team’s robot.

“The students involved in working long hours to rebuild the robot saw how much it made a difference,” he said. “That’s what engineering is, being willing to tear it apart and start over, even when it’s a lot of work.”

The alliance also seized on a winning strategy, with the Chimeras team effectively blocking while alliance partners concentrated on shooting.

To advance to the final round, the teams faced an alliance of robotics teams which included 2014 World Championship Team 469, Las Guerillas, of Bloomfield Hills International Academy High School.

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition program, also known as FRC, combines the excitement of a varsity sport with hands-on training in science and technology to help high school students discover how rewarding a career in engineering or technology can be. Every student on a FIRST robotics team has a chance to turn pro. To learn more about Team 1684, go to http://FIRST1684.com. To learn more about FIRST Robotics, go to http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc.