The Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association is a full-contact robotics competition. Students from 30 high schools in Oakland County, MI, build and control 120-pound robots and compete against each other in a sport-like game. Unlike the FIRST robotics competition program, OCCRA robots are entirely student-designed and built. The competition rules allow for and encourage corporate partnerships but do not allow precise machining or processes that cannot be carried out in schools. OCCRA participants not only learn practical applicable knowledge, but also the skills of working collaboratively in groups, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and quick thinking on their feet.

The goals of the program are to:

Generate enthusiasm for technical and academic disciplines such as design, engineering, physics, and electronics.
Provide a format for integrating and applying diverse scientific and technical areas of study within the school curriculum.
Provide recognition and encouragement for students who devote their energies to these areas of study.
Promote team/workplace skills and good sportsmanship.
Raise awareness within the high schools about math, science, and engineering and prepare students for the diverse technical career options available in our county and state.
Create school-corporate partnerships that will enrich the high school experience for our students by providing greater accessibility to people in scientific and technical careers.

OCCRA Participation & Registration

Registration fees are $0 for new teams and $350 for returning teams. To access registration forms, click here.

2024 Schedule

10/23/24 - Walled Lake Central HS
11/9/24 - Marian HS
11/23/24 - Seaholm HS / Championship

Tournament Awards
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
Beautiful Bot Award
Spirit of the Competition Award
Technical Excellence Award
Strategic Design Award
Quality Award
Judges Award

County Championship Awards
Champion
Finalist
Semi-Finalist
#1 Seed
Beautiful Bot Award
Spirit of the Competition Award
Technical Excellence Award
Strategic Design Award
Quality Award
Simple Solutions Award
Most Improved Award
Judges Award

Oakland Schools Education Foundation (OSEF) Award

This award is presented to the team that demonstrates the best overall performance of the following characteristics:

The students will:

Demonstrate teamwork, cooperation and enthusiasm between each other, teachers, administration and other teams.
Demonstrate enthusiasm for technical and academic disciplines such as design, engineering, physics, and electronics and communicate knowledge of robot to the judges.
Demonstrate an organized approach to problem-solving and troubleshooting.
Promote awareness of the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association to their school district, parents, and community.
Practice safety on a regular basis at their school and all competitions.

Five judges at each tournament will be asked to rank the teams at the tournament according to the criteria listed above. Their top-ranked team will receive 5 points; their second-highest-ranked team will receive 4 points, etc. Points will be given at each tournament by the judges.

The five finalists will be announced at the County Championship and the presentation of the OSEF Award will take place at the OCCRA Awards Banquet.

History of the League

The idea for a competitive robotics league had been talked about for a couple of years. In late May of 2000, a proposal was submitted to Oakland Schools requesting that the Oakland County Intermediate School District (ISD) facilitate the formation of an association called “OCCRA”, or the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association. A committee of engineers and educators representing the ISD, eight different schools, and three private companies formed OCCRA in June of 2000. Since all eight founding schools already had robotics teams taking part in a popular program called “FIRST” (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), much of the game and kit format was patterned after FIRST. Over the summer, the committee planning the fall league eventually grew to over 30 adults. Seven subcommittees were formed to address the different aspects of the task: Game & Kit, Membership, Events & Scheduling, Governance, Curriculum, Public Relations, and Ways & Means.

The membership in OCCRA grew to 17 teams representing 22 different secondary schools by the time the kits were handed out at the official “Kick-off” on September 10, 2000. To make the league easier for rookie teams, workshops and demonstrations were held and a 32-page “How-to” manual was written and handed out with the kits. Students designed and built their robots in the following weeks. League rules allowed for adult supervision, but the students had to do the actual work and precision machining was not allowed. The first of three regional seeding tournaments was held at Rochester High School on Saturday, October 23rd. Brandon High School hosted a regional the following Saturday and Pontiac Northern High School hosted the final regional on Friday evening, November 3rd. The Oakland County Championship was contested at a double-elimination tournament hosted by Avondale High School on Saturday, November 11th.

The OCCRA membership in 2001 grew to 22 teams representing 25 different secondary schools. One school dropped when the mentoring teacher left but several more joined. Making the league easier for rookie teams continued to be a priority. Three workshops were run by professional engineers who were also experienced robot builders. The “How-to” manual was expanded to 65 pages and a “How-to” video was produced and distributed to all teams. Publicity began to pick up with coverage by local TV and radio added to exposure in local newspapers. OCCRA received several prestigious program awards from local and statewide organizations.

The Association was fortunate to have the complete support of the ISD’s administration: they embraced the proposal, offered clerical and technical support, and even arranged financing for the league.

The main reason that OCCRA was successful, though, was because a lot of dedicated people did a lot of hard work. Without the dedication of the many students, teachers, administrators, parents, and engineers, the league would not have succeeded.