Local Area Robotics Teams Gather For N.M.R.C.’s Conference Championship

Over 30 robotics teams from across Northern Minnesota and North Dakota gathered at Brainerd High School for the Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference’s annual championship this past weekend.

Local area teams, including Brainerd, Bemidji, and Pequot Lakes High School robotics team battled it out in the arena.

“The NMRC Championship is just a great way to get all of the northern Minnesota teams together,” Pequot Lakes High School ‘5913 Patriotics’ Head Coach Keith Lumley said. “It all originated to give robotics some credit. We’ve opened our doors to accept most anybody that wants to join the conference.”

This is the NMRC’s eighth annual conference championship, which brings out the best from all participating parties.

“It’ll be the final event for the season. We’ll start with out new season the first week of January, find out what the game is and away you go,” Brainerd High School ‘2503 Warriors Robotics’ Head Coach Brian Bordwell said. “We have nine freshmen on our team this year, so there will be a lot of teaching. For those kids, to be able to experience a competition Is super huge because then they can see the excitement. Then, that gets the juices flowing for those guys.”

And some teams, like Pequot Lakes’ 5913 Patriotics, who took home its first state championship earlier this spring, are looking to secure bragging rights.

“A lot of towns are close by, so it’s just like anything else. You want to do as best as you could to put your best foot forward,” Lumley said. “A lot of the kids are new to it. It brings a lot of excitement and a little buzz to everybody’s school that this thing is going on.”

The NMRC was first established in 2017, with the intention of providing a competitive structure for what it calls ‘co-oppertition’ and growth of Robotics in Northern Minnesota.

As while the competition spirit’s always strong, the NMRC is also one big community.

“The idea that these teams are here to support each other is refreshing,” Lumley said. “All of the teams—especially the coaches—we’ve developed friendships. We would go above and beyond to help other teams.” 

“That whole gracious professionalism, helping one another out, not only at the competition, but at home here with all our parents and hopefully that’s the same way with all the teams,” Bordwell said.

Congratulations to Pequot Lakes, Babbit, Frazee-Vergas, and North Dakota’s Devils Lakes’ Robotics teams for emerging as champions.