On November 9th, 2024, Team TeraBridges 18603 had the honor of hosting an exciting FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Scrimmage at Upper St. Clair High School. The theme for the 2024 season, SUBMERGED, had all the LEGO mats brimming with ocean-themed challenges, bringing waves of energy and creativity to the event.
A total of 26 middle school teams from across Western Pennsylvania came together for the scrimmage, including 11 teams from Upper St. Clair’s two middle schools, Boyce and Fort Couch. These local teams represented the growing talent in the area, and we couldn’t be more proud of them! The USC teams in attendance included:
- MicroBitz (53191)
- Revolution Robots (53192)
- Robo Birds (53462)
- Robo Panthers (53463)
- CyBrix (53464)
- Mechanical Mayhem (53465)
- Starfish (53466)
- HydroHackers (53467)
- Tech Titans (66840)
- Banana Bots (66842)
- Infinity Innovators (66844)
Behind the Scenes: Setting Up for Success
TeraBridges worked hard to make sure everything was ready for the event. The night before, our team set up the venue and arrived early on Saturday morning to ensure that all the details were in place. With 12 practice tables and 4 scrimmage tables, the venue was buzzing with excitement before the first team even arrived!
Gordon Walton, from Brainstem, served as the event facilitator, with help from his students, while the TeraBridges team took on roles as emcees, scorekeepers, and general event coordinators. We’re always excited to contribute to the FIRST community in any way we can, and it’s so rewarding to see everything come together for such a successful event.
The Fun of the Poem Contest
One of the highlights of our FLL Scrimmage every year is an extra contest we run with 3D printed Trophies. This year teams were invited to submit a creative poem about why they love robots. This year, we asked the teams to include their TEAM NAME and the word SUBMERGED in their poems. It was heartwarming and hilarious to listen to the poems read aloud by the teams. It’s amazing how passionate these young minds are about robotics!
The poem contest was judged based on creativity, adherence to the theme, and the team’s performance when reading their poem out loud. After much deliberation, the winners were:
- 3rd place: Team 412 Power Crew
- 2nd place: Team Revolution Robots
- 1st place: Team Starfish
Watching Future Innovators in Action
Throughout the day, it was incredible to watch all the teams tackle the SUBMERGED challenges with ingenuity and enthusiasm. The TeraBridges FTC team was especially impressed by the level of talent and intelligence from our younger peers in FLL. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the years to come!
TeraBridges Showcases FTC Robots
In addition to supporting the FLL teams, TeraBridges also had a table set up to showcase two of our FTC robots. This was a fantastic opportunity for the FLL teams and their families to learn more about the next chapter in the FIRST robotics journey. We handed out flyers about FTC and answered questions from interested families, excited to grow the FIRST community even further in our region.
Celebrating Upper St. Clair’s Success
We were thrilled to see several Upper St. Clair teams perform exceptionally well at the scrimmage. Robo Panthers earned 7th place, and Mechanical Mayhem took 3rd place overall. But that’s not all—Mechanical Mayhem also won the Director’s Challenge, securing some extra funding for their innovation project!
It’s wonderful to see our local teams thriving and pushing their limits with each new challenge. These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and passion these students bring to the table.
A Day of Robots, Fun, and Community
At the end of the day, everyone left with smiles, new friends, and an even greater love for robotics. We want to extend a huge congratulations to all the teams who participated. The talent and energy at the event were truly inspiring, and we hope all the teams had as much fun as we did!
As we look ahead to the rest of the season, we’re excited to see how each team progresses and how the spirit of innovation continues to grow in the Western Pennsylvania FIRST community. Here’s to many more days of robots, fun, and collaboration!
Final Thoughts
We are so proud of the accomplishments of all the teams who participated in the FLL Scrimmage, especially our local Upper St. Clair teams. The future of robotics is bright, and we’re lucky to be part of this inspiring community. Congratulations to everyone, and best of luck with the rest of the season! We can’t wait to see what you all come up with next!