04/21/2026
Red Thunder Robotics #7166
Return on Investment | Red Thunder Robotics Pays Dividends at State Competition and Advances to World Competition
Red Thunder Robotics, Laingsburg’s award-winning high school robotics team, is celebrating and recovering from a major week at the FIRST Robotics State Championship, held April 16–18 at the Ryder Center at Saginaw Valley State University. Three intense days of competition against the best robotics teams in Michigan yielded Red Thunder Robotics some major highlights, when Red Thunder Robotics became Division Champions on their home field, the Hemlock Semiconductor Field. That victory advanced them to the next round of competition, where they faced off against the
Division Champions from the event’s three other sponsored competition fields — DTE Field, Consumers Energy Field, and Aptiv Field. Teaming up with Team 2337, the EngiNERDS, and K9.0 Robotics (Team 8280), Red Thunder Robotics formed a strong alliance that continued competing at the highest level, taking on the very best teams in the state and earning a spot to advance to the FIRST Robotics World Championship, held in Houston, TX, April 29-May 4. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the FIRST Robotics World Championship, which includes over 600 of the top robotics teams from around the globe. The event will be held at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, a massive venue whose footprint is roughly equivalent to 33 football fields.
In addition to Red Thunder Robotics’ winning on the competition field, the team was honored at the event with the Industrial Design award, which is a sought-after award given to the team whose machine distinguishes itself from the rest by its aesthetic, design and performance. Behind the scenes, Red Thunder Robotics’ success reflects months of hard work and the support of dedicated mentors, families, school administrators, and community sponsors who believe in handson STEM education. That community support was especially visible in the week leading up to the State Championship, when the team was surprised and encouraged to see their name up in lights on a digital billboard along US127, just north of the Lake Lansing Road exit. The team extends a heartfelt thankyou to Meiers Lombardini Lemanski Insurance in East Lansing for their continued support and for the uplifting goodluck message that meant so much to the team as they prepared to compete. As Red Thunder Robotics prepares to head to Houston, the team does so with momentum, pride, and the appreciates support of the community cheering them on.