Three Umatilla middle school robotics teams earned advancement to the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Oregon Championship following competition at the FTC Umatilla Qualifying Tournament, held Saturday, January 24, at Clara Brownell Middle School.
The teams earned advancement based on their overall performance during robot matches and awards earned at the qualifying tournament. The teams earning advancement are The Apex (7474), The Femgineers (9060), and Tech Tornadoes (7499).
The Apex (7474) earned advancement by winning the Inspire Award, which recognizes overall excellence in robot design, teamwork, and leadership, as well as serving as a positive role model within the FIRST program. The team was also part of the finalist alliance during the tournament.
The Femgineers (9060) advanced based on their strong gameplay performance. The team reached the playoffs and was part of the alliance that won the tournament. They were also finalists for the Inspire Award.
Tech Tornadoes (7499) earned advancement as the winning alliance captain, leading their alliance through the playoffs and securing the overall tournament victory. The team was also recognized with the Connect Award for their outreach and engagement efforts.
FIRST Tech Challenge is a robotics program for students in grades 7-12 that emphasizes engineering, design, programming and teamwork. Each season, teams work together to build and program robots for a new game challenge, developing skills in problem-solving and collaboration.
The Umatilla Tournament brought together the district’s middle school FTC teams for a full day of competition, with 60 students in grades 7th-8th participating. Teams competed in robot matches, giving students the opportunity to showcase what they have been working on to their families, and also took part in judging sessions that evaluated design, strategy, teamwork, and innovation.
The teams were supported throughout the day by 20 high school students who volunteered through the district’s FIRST Robotics Competition program, along with 20 adult volunteers who assisted with event operations and judging.
In addition to the teams that advanced, several other teams earned awards recognizing innovation, creativity, and team attributes.
Finalist Alliance Captain - Mechanical Pencils (7473)
Think Award - Rust Buckets (17368)
Sustain Award - The Clankers (15436)
Innovate Award Sponsored by RTX - Vortex Vanguards (17367)
Reach Award - ZRL (7498)
Design Award - Firewall (7496)
Judges’ Choice Award - Byte Me (7497)
The FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Championship will be held February 28th through March 1st at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Photo provided by the Umatilla High School Robotics Team, Confidential (4125).