BANGOR, Maine — Bangor High School's two robotics teams are in the final stages of preparation for the first-ever Lobstah Bowl competition.
The teams—Gadget Gang and Loose Screws—have been preparing since May for this week's three-day robotics event.
The competition, held at the University of Maine, is the state’s first competition where teams can qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship.
For the Bangor teams, this is the biggest competition they will have attended. But Bangor High School senior Brandon Nguyen feels they are ready for the challenge.
"We are definitely shooting for high expectations," he said.
Nguyen has been competing in robotics since middle school and has found a tight knit group of four friends in Gadget Gang.
"I love them to be honest, they're a really great team," Nguyen said.
The sentiment is shared amongst the Loose Screws, a team of three women, Bangor senior Katherine Lake says.
"I think it's the teamwork. I think it's the team attitude that even though it's just the three of us, it's kinda like a little family coming to robotics," Lake said. "You always know that you have those people with you."
Bangor Robotics coach Keri Phipps is excited for her team and proud of the work they have done.
However, she is equally excited for next week's activities fair. She anticipates she will have a full classroom with four unique teams after it.
As for this week’s competition, the Bangor teams will go through robot inspections on Thursday before moving onto the qualifying rounds. If either team is crowned the victor, they will be rewarded with a proper Maine lobster bake.