Mecha Lions Impress Judges with Growth and Innovation

We are incredibly excited to share that our varsity FRC team, The Mecha Lions (Stratford Preparatory Blackford Robotics 10252), has wrapped up an unforgettable 2026 season! This year, our team was honored with two prestigious awards that reflect our rapid growth, technical perseverance, and deep commitment to the community.

Earlier this season, we received the Judges’ Choice Award at the Half Moon Bay District Event. This award recognizes teams whose unique accomplishments, efforts, and team dynamics truly stand out to the judging panel. For us, this was a beautiful validation of the hard work we put into building our team culture and expanding STEM opportunities.

We followed up our success at Half Moon Bay by earning the Rising All-Star Award at the Pinnacles District Event. This award recognizes a developing team’s growth, strong potential, and commitment to the core values of FIRST. The judges highlighted our creative outreach initiatives and noted our strong foundation for future success as we continue our transition into the FRC space.

A major factor in both of these awards was our dedication to making robotics more accessible, engaging, and fun for everyone. Throughout the season, our outreach initiatives focused on hands-on impact. We refurbished and donated laptops to local robotics teams, ensuring students had the technology necessary to learn, program, and compete. Our team also designed and 3D-printed custom succulent planters as memorable takeaways for event attendees. Furthermore, we developed and shared interactive video game experiences that introduced attendees to robotics concepts in a highly accessible way.

While this recognition is incredibly exciting, it did not come without its hurdles. As a second-year team transitioning from FTC to the much larger scale of FRC, we faced our fair share of technical setbacks, late build nights, and unexpected obstacles. Instead of letting those challenges slow us down, every single member of the team stepped up. We learned from every roadblock, iterated on our robot designs, and grew stronger as a unified team.

We are immensely grateful to our mentors, sponsors, families, and supporters who have encouraged us every step of the way. Your guidance has allowed us to grow into a team that values innovation, collaboration, and community service just as much as technical excellence. As we look ahead, the Mecha Lions are more motivated than ever. We are excited to continue our FRC journey, expand our outreach, inspire more students to explore STEM, and build upon everything we have learned this incredible season. Go Mecha Lions!