The Full Metal Jackets are headed to state

PERHAM — "We have a goal again of making it to state, so hopefully, that works," Perham robotics advisor Andy Paulson told the Perham Focus back in January, right before the competitive season began . Despite a team of mostly new members in 2023, they reached their goal.

The Full Metal Jackets announced that they will be going to compete at the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) State Tournament on Saturday, May 6, at the University of Minnesota Williams Arena.

The top 36 out of 190 teams move on to compete at the state tournament. The Full Metal Jackets officially ranked as the 27th team, qualifying for the first time in the team's history.

Despite state taking place during the same week as Perham High School's prom, Paulson was pleased to announce that all of their juniors and seniors still plan to attend the robotics competition.

"The team is extremely excited to participate in the championship … It is so great to see the dedication of the students to the team," he shared. "It will be a great experience for these kids and the program will only grow and get stronger with this opportunity."

Paulson continued, "Also, we could not have had the success we did this year without the help of our outstanding sponsors. BTD Manufacturing, Pentair, Lund Boats and KLN Family Brands are our premium-level sponsors that have contributed greatly to the quality of our program. Their support has allowed us to increase the manufacturing standard for our robot as well as the overall quality of the Full Metal Jackets robotics program! In addition to our sponsors, the support of our school and community is outstanding, and watching this team grow has been amazing! We look forward to working with the community moving forward."

If you wish to watch the competition online, a link that says "Watch Now" will eventually be available on thebluealliance.com . To learn more about FIRST Robotics, visit firstinspires.org . To follow the Full Metal Jackets' season, check out their Facebook page, Perham Robotics Team #3297 .