Saline Middle School FTC Teams Wrap Season on International Stage

On an international robotics field in Ontario, two Saline Middle School teams found themselves on opposite sides of the same match.

H.I.V.E. and Hornet Hackers, both part of Saline Middle School’s school-based FIRST Tech Challenge program, faced each other during qualification play at the Canada Cup-Niagara Premier Event. It was one moment in a larger season-ending trip, but it captured the scale of what Saline students were doing: competing close to home in spirit, but on fields shared with teams from across the United States and around the world.

Three Saline Middle School FTC teams, CyBugs, Hornet Hackers and H.I.V.E., closed their season at FIRST Tech Challenge Premier Events, with CyBugs traveling to California and Hornet Hackers and H.I.V.E. competing in Canada.

The events were especially notable because FIRST Tech Challenge is open nationally to students in grades 7-12, while FIRST in Michigan places FTC at the middle school level and FIRST Robotics Competition at the high school level. That put Saline’s middle school students on fields that often include older competitors from other states and countries.

Western Edge Premier Event

CyBugs, Team 10644, competed May 28-31 at the Western Edge Premier Event in Long Beach, California. The event included 88 teams, with competitors from the United States, Canada, Israel, Romania, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand, South Korea, China, Kazakhstan and other countries.

CyBugs stood out in more ways than one. Coach Kevin Jones said the team was “the only middle school FTC team at the 88-team event.”

CyBugs finished qualification play ranked first in the Sea Division with a 10-0 record. The team captained the No. 1 alliance, reached the final match in its division and earned the Design Award and Finalist Alliance Captain recognition.

Canada Cup-Niagara Premier Event

Hornet Hackers, Team 10645, and H.I.V.E., Team 26606, competed June 13-16 at the Canada Cup-Niagara Premier Event in St. Catharines, Ontario. The event roster listed 78 teams from the United States, Canada, Israel, Romania, Mexico, Germany, New Zealand, France, Libya and the Czech Republic.

For Saline, the Canada event also included a local matchup. In Qualification 12, H.I.V.E. was paired with Electric Mayhem Green against Hornet Hackers and Happy Haptic Doctors. H.I.V.E.’s alliance won the match 184-134.

H.I.V.E. finished eighth in the Science Division qualification rankings with a 5-2-1 record. The team advanced to the playoffs as the captain of the sixth-seeded alliance, adding to a fast rise for Saline’s newest FTC team.

Hornet Hackers also came home with recognition, earning third place for the Think Award in the Science Division. The veteran Saline Middle School team has been competing in FTC since 2015.

Behind the awards and travel is a program powered by volunteers. Saline Middle School FTC depends on volunteers to help students build, program, problem-solve and prepare for competition. Program organizers are seeking additional coaches and mentors for next season to help keep the middle school teams running.

Together, the three teams closed the season with awards, playoff runs and a chance to show that Michigan middle school robotics belongs on some of FTC’s biggest fields.