Robotics Teams Battle It Out in Exciting FIRST Tech Qualifier

Pink Droyd tinkers with their robot. *Photo: Kiki Teng*

By DILAN BELOW

Midwood's robotics is gearing up as they work to qualify their three teams—Botley Crüe, Rolling Drones, and Pink Droyd—for the FIRST Tech super qualifiers and, hopefully, the World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

At the FIRST Tech qualifier held at John Dewey High School on December 8, two of Midwood’s three teams earned spots in the next stage of the competition.

The event was intense and exciting, with all three teams delivering standout performances. In a dramatic turn of events, the final three alliances in the competition were all Midwood teams, leading to some friendly but fierce competition between the sister squads.

“It’s kind of bittersweet because it's great to think about being in the top three and it's all three of our school’s teams, but it kind of sucked that they had to knock each other out,” said the teams’ coach, Ms. Lisa Ali. “Although our third team didn't qualify, it's not that they didn't perform well enough to have that spot.”

Botley Crüe, celebrating their 15th season, was knocked out by the Rolling Drones in the finals, and then Pink Droyd triumphed over the Rolling Drones to claim the top spot.

“It was a stressful experience because we had to work so hard to win,” said Shadman Shadath ‘25, the co-captain of Pink Droyd. “We had a lot of complications where we failed the first inspection and had to fix the robot. For the second match, we shut down, and we went from top 7 to top 18. But thanks to our builders and programmers, the robot stayed consistent.”

“We had a bit of a rocky start, but as the competition went on, we learned a lot from both our alliances and our opponents and improved significantly,” said Olga Rozen ‘25 of Pink Droyd. “We learned from the mistakes in our previous rounds and adjusted our strategies to help us become the winning alliance.”

Besides earning the highest score in the event, Midwood also earned the second highest score in the city. And though the Rolling Drones didn’t take first, they received an award for their robot’s innovative design.

“Our first few matches were rough, as we were learning the ropes and the pressure got to us,” said Ivan Markov ‘25, co-captain of the Rolling Drones, “but as the matches went on, we kept on going and going.”

This year’s FIRST Tech challenge is “Into the Deep,” where teams design, build, and program robots to explore the ocean depths.

The competition consists of three main periods. During the Autonomous Period, robots operate independently for 30 seconds to collect objects, navigate obstacles, and score points. During the Driver-Controlled Period, teams control their robots for two minutes, moving and stacking objects to accumulate points. Finally, in the End Game, teams can earn bonus points by lifting or placing objects in specific zones.

With the Super Qualifiers scheduled for February and the championship in March, all eyes are on the next event at Francis Lewis High School on January 19th, where Botley Crüe will compete for another chance to qualify.

Diving into the robotics teams at Midwood, you’ll find that the program is more than just a place for students to build robots—it's a community where teamwork, creativity, and personal growth come to life.

According to Ms. Ali, each of the three teams brings something unique to the table.

Botley Crüe’s students “are always sticklers for the rules,” explained Ms. Ali. “They are kind of like a straight line.”

In contrast, Pink Droyd, in their 10th season, are my little softies,” she said. “They’re the mushy, sensitive, sweet, kind ones.”

Then there’s the Rolling Drones, also celebrating their 10th season. According to Ms. Ali, the team is known for constantly pushing boundaries and challenging themselves. “They always need to get reprimanded, not for disobeying, but for pushing too far,” she said. “But they’re always working hard and making strides at competitions, staying in really high rankings.”

For many students, robotics is a place where they truly feel at home. "In a school as big as ours, it’s really hard to find a place where you belong," Ms. Ali said. "But here, on their teams, they feel that belonging."

The sense of family extends far beyond the classroom, as former team members stay connected long after graduation. Students from teams as far back as 2018 still come to competitions to cheer on the new generation of builders, even planning summer dinners to keep in touch. “I like the community we’ve built in this class,” Ms. Ali said.

As Midwood’s robotics teams prepare for the next stage of competition, the spirit of teamwork, resilience, and creativity continues to define the program. The road to St. Louis is just one part of the journey, as the friendships and skills students develop along the way will have an even greater lasting impact.