At the end of the 2026 Minnesota Northstar Regional competition, the mood was somber, as both robots (Stampede and Rodeo) were eliminated during the playoffs. However, that shifted quickly as Stampede won the Impact Award, one of the most prestigious awards to win. Robotics senior Jack Sigmond was ecstatic when he found out that they won the Impact Award. He said, “I thought my time in robotics would end on another missed opportunity. But when they called out our number, and I got to hold up that blue banner for the first time in my life, all that was erased. We won. We made it.” This achievement is monumental for Breck Robotics because it is the first time that the team has won the Impact Award in over ten years.
The FIRST Impact Award is a very important and competitive award that rewards teams for their community engagement and outreach. If a team wins Impact at a competition, they have a guaranteed ticket to world championships. This means that winning Impact is almost as important, if not just as important, as winning the tournament itself. Stampede has been working hard for years in its community engagement initiatives to have a chance at winning Impact. According to robotics co-team captain Julia Rosenman, “Stampede does many different things to impact our community. From our weekly community partnerships to our initiatives in art, education, and legislation, we take a multi-faceted approach to STEM education.” Specific examples of this outreach include creating and mentoring a younger 7-9th grade team called Rodeo; hosting, feeding, providing transport and lab space for team 5996 from Czechia; offering robotics education to students at community partnerships; and starting a middle school VEX robotics program.
While winning Impact was certainly the highlight of the competition, both robots still had great performances. Stampede and Rodeo both came out of qualification matches (matches that determine and adjust a robots ranking before playoffs) with decent ranks. Both robots advanced to the playoffs. Stampede was eliminated rather quickly; however, Rodeo advanced far through the bracket until they were ultimately eliminated, somewhat due to technical difficulties involving wiring. Rodeo ended up in third place at the competition.
Everyone on the team is excited to travel to Houston, TX where the World Championship tournament will take place. Championships are quite the spectacle, as 600 teams and thousands of team members face off against each other. Senior Caleb Li and sophomore Jackson Goodrich are very excited to have fun with their teammates and see the insanely good robots, and to just experience the excitement that comes with World Championships. Overall, Breck Robotics have had a great 2026 season and are excited to see their revamped robot shine at World Championships.
