Despite widespread narratives lamenting a decline in civic volunteerism, the Umatilla and the FIRST Robotics communities proved service is alive and well at an off-season robotics event held October 10th and 11th in Umatilla. The "Uplift Challenge," a high-energy off-season robotics event playing the 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) game, "Reefscape," was sponsored by Amazon Web Services through a Change X grant. The event successfully hosted teams thanks entirely to a massive, multi-generational, volunteer effort.
The Uplift Challenge, which brought robotics teams from across Oregon and Washington, served as a powerful testament to the FIRST core value of Gracious Professionalism and the deep community spirit of Umatilla. From setting up the massive competition field to serving warm meals, the generosity of the community ensured the weekend was a resounding success for every student involved.
Crucially, the Uplift Challenge was made possible through dedicated support, including a ChangeX grant award sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Thanks to this AWS grant, participating FRC teams will have the significant advantage of free access to the tools and manufacturing equipment at the Umatilla Career Technical Education Center this coming season to fabricate and manufacture parts for their own competition robots. The funds from Amazon will offset the supply and shipping costs for all participating teams.
The extraordinary hands-on support began with local organizations and returning champions. The Umatilla Masonic Lodge kicked off Saturday morning by volunteering their time to cook a pancake breakfast, ensuring competitors and volunteers started the day well-fed.Fourteen dedicated alumni from FRC Team 4125 returned to the fold, dedicating their entire weekend to the event by serving as referees, team support liaisons, and essential hands for event setup and takedown. Umatilla Mayor, Caden Sipe, helped cook pancakes with fellow Alum, Miles Franks, then both former team members switched gears and Mayor Sipe became Coach Sipe and Miles (now a student at Eastern Oregon University) served as a referee.
The passion for the program extended far beyond local borders, too. Esteemed FIRST volunteers—including Eric Stokely, Leo Conniff, James Byrne, and Eric Emery—made the journey all the way from the Seattle region to lend their expert knowledge and ensure the competition ran smoothly.
Competition Highlights and Award Winners
The competitive aspect of the Uplift Challenge provided exciting battles on the field. The winning alliance for the event included Captain FRC Team 4513 Circuit Breakers (Medical Lake, Washington) and their partners, FRC Team 9438 Leopard Tech (Cove, Oregon), and FRC Team 8532 (the Freshman team from Umatilla, Oregon).
Additional award winners demonstrating excellence were:
Gracious Professionalism Award: FRC Team 8532, Classified (Umatilla)
Quality Award: FRC Team 3712, Robocats (Union) and FRC Team 4513, Circuit Breakers (Medical Lake)
Industrial Design Award: FRC Team 4125, Confidential (Umatilla)
Most notably, the teams themselves embodied the spirit of service. With tremendous help from their mentors and parents, teams stayed well past the scheduled breakdown time, remaining until after 11:00 p.m. on Friday and returning to work for over two hours after the event on Saturday to completely dismantle the field. This Herculean effort ensured the full "Reefscape" field was packed, loaded, and ready for its next destination in Vancouver. A final note of gratitude goes to Platt for generously transporting the field trailer, completing the volunteer service chain.
The successful execution of the Uplift Challenge, powered by committed individuals spanning from seasoned seniors to robotics teens, clearly demonstrates that service and volunteerism are vibrant forces in Umatilla today.
