On Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, the Bolles Robotics teams all participated in the regional competition at Bartram in the Conroy Athletic Center. The event was held by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), bringing all four of our teams for this two-day event.
All four of our upper and middle school teams including Jurassic Spark, the eighth-grade team, and the upper school teams Mischievous Mechanics, Patent Pending, and Static Discharge were successful in the previous state competition.
Regionals are structured as a two-day event, with the judging taking place on the first day and the actual meet and matches on the second. On Friday night, after setting up competition fields and judging rooms in the Conroy Athletic Center, all the teams individually handed in their portfolios and also talked with the judges about their progress from 2024 to 2025. These portfolios documented all the work the teams had completed throughout the season.
Activities on Saturday morning began early at 8:30 AM as teams arrived to inspect their robots, fix any minor flaws, and make necessary repairs before the matches commenced at 11:30 AM. The competition was divided into five qualification matches, where teams were randomly paired up to compete against other teams. Then there was a tournament where the top eight teams competed in alliances until one alliance emerged victorious.
Two of Bolles’ teams, Static Discharge and Mischievous Mechanics, had previously been state champions in the 2024 to 2025 season. While all teams performed exceptionally well under pressure, sadly none of them advanced to the nationals competition this year. However, upper school Robotics coach Mr. Skapetis emphasized that this outcome was not due to any shortcomings of the teams.
“I don’t see it that way,” Skapetis explained. “Individuals may view losing or not advancing as a failure on their part, but that’s not the case at all.”
Preparation for regionals was based on the experience levels of each team. For the older teams that had been working together for years, the goal was to reach the state championship. Meanwhile, newer teams such as Jurassic Spark, which even had a seventh grader competing, were focusing on developing their skills and gaining valuable experience for competitions in the future.
Despite the fast-paced and high-pressure environment, all four teams performed extremely well, demonstrating their ability to troubleshoot problems and adapt to challenges on the fly. Various mechanical and coding issues occurred throughout the event, yet each team worked together to find solutions. For example, one team had a gear jam due to a screw being lodged in the mechanism, requiring them to dismantle and repair the issue in real time. Also, there were instances where ropes broke, forcing teams to improvise new solutions to keep their robots functional quickly.
Mr. Hicks, another Robotics coach at the upper school, praised the teams for their resilience and perseverance. “I think they performed quite well given the circumstances. You know, it’s a very high intensity, high energy event, and despite having loads of pressure, I think they kind of pulled through, pushed through as teams very well.”
Although no Bolles teams advanced this year, all four teams proved their skill, teamwork, and ability to perform under pressure. The robotics program at Bolles will continue to grow, and the lessons learned at regionals will very likely help each team improve and prepare for future competitions. As Skapetis put it, “We are very proud of all four teams.”
