The spring 2025 FIRST Robotics season started with a splash for Middle Georgia teams.
And that’s not just because this year’s theme, “Dive,” challenges students to develop robots designed to fetch coral and lift themselves out of the sea (in an abstract way). Rather, the teams have emerged from competitions with valuable points and special awards recognizing their camaraderie and leadership.
This year marks the third season of Georgia AIM’s involvement in Middle Georgia robotics by providing support for new robot kits and training opportunities for teachers. Since the start of the partnership, the region has doubled the number of K-12 robotics teams to 27, trained nearly 100 teachers and involved hundreds of students to coding, programming, and building robots.
This season’s success began with the March 22 competition in Statesboro, with Team #3635, the Flying Legion Robotics Team. By the end of qualifying matched it was ranked 12th and became alliance No. 7 captain in the playoffs. In the end, the team progressed to match nine of round three in the event’s playoffs.
But perhaps more importantly, the team also brought home the FIRST Safety Award and the FIRST Impact Award, qualifying the Flying Legion for the district championship in Macon. The FIRST Impact Award is one of the most prestigious awards given by the organization, honoring the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. The Impact Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnership among participants and community over a period of time — not just a single season of robotics competitions.
The Flying Legion robotics team comprises high school students from Houston County High School, Northside High School, Veterans High School, Perry High School, and Warner Robins High School, all in Houston County. At the district championships, which take place April 4-5 at Mercer University in Macon, members of the Flying Legion will compete with their robot for the next level of FIRST Impact Award against winners from other qualifying events.
A week after the Flying Legion’s successful showing, team #9260, Built 4 Bibb, competed at the Albany qualifier. After using their robot to consistently place coral on the top rung in the competition challenge, they scored 59 points total. Ranked No. 5 going into the playoffs, Built 4 Bibb was chosen as the No. 3 alliance captain and made it to match 13 of round five.
Going into the district championship, Built 4 Bibb is ranked 17 out of 75 teams.
Built 4 Bibb and Flying Legion also demonstrated their skills at the 2025 gathering of the Dixie Crows Symposium. These teams, along with a special appearance by First Tech Challenge team Flight Academy #25744, shared details of the FIRST robotics program with attendees and how their robotics skills are teaching them to become the workforce of the future.