The first FIRST Robotics Competition Wisconsin State Championship took place April 17-19, 2026, and we were honored to be the site of the inaugural event in the new District model of play. The team, along with related volunteers (photo above), our Event Coordinators, and FIRST Wisconsin worked tirelessly to produce a first-class FRC event at Brookfield East! We were delighted to receive much praise from FIRST Wisconsin and attendees, alike.
Planning began over a year ago, and then it was all-hands-on-deck for the three day event. Beginning on Thursday evening, the team covered the Brookfield East Field House floor with tarps, hardboard, and field carpet. They also loaded-in the competition field. In addition to the thrill of the event being held at our home, the team was excited to share our Robotics and Automation Lab with the rest of Wisconsin’s robotics community. BEAST Field became the Test Area (a.k.a., the Practice Field) during the event.
On Friday, during the school day, Mentors assembled the competition field in the Field House. After school, teammates prepared the remaining spaces for the event. By the time team load-in was to begin, the weather had begun to change. Teams were allowed to load-in an hour earlier than planned, and BEAST-mates helped everyone unload in record time. Then, there was the first tornado warning! We followed protocol and assisted approximately 1000 guests to the safety of East’s interior hallways. Just as that first warning expired, and we began to return to the Field House, a second tornado warning was issued. We were thankful that everyone was safe and that the school did not sustain any damage; however, due to the loss of time, the Practice Matches scheduled for that evening were cancelled.
Everyone returned bright and early Saturday morning and Sunday morning to fulfill their team and volunteer duties. BEAST-mates, along with other FIRST volunteers, filled the roles of Judges, Field Resetters, Robot Inspectors, Machine Shop Operators, Safety Glasses Attendants, Concession Workers, and everything in between! After a long weekend of “roboting,” tired teammates continued to amaze as they quickly disassembled the field, took-up the floor, and returned Brookfield East to classroom-ready status.
As for the competition itself, it began with four teammates performing the National Anthem. The string quartet did a spectacular job kicking off the event!
We also debuted our new BEAST mascot at the State competition! Our BEAST was escorted throughout the Pits and beyond, making friends and posing for pics.
Gary, our robot, performed well during the competition. He was a robust machine that required very little fixing throughout the Qualification Matches. Day 1 brought us a mixture of results…several losses, bookended by wins and even a tie. We came back strong on Day 2, winning all of our Quals. We were then chosen to join Team 1714 and Team 930 on Alliance 4. We were on a good run into the Playoffs, until our bot suffered catastrophic damage from an opposing robot during a close match. The initial score indicated a loss for our Alliance, but after reviewing the damage, a penalty was issued, and the match went in our favor. This allowed us to continue deeper into the Playoffs. We, however, were unable to fix our bot’s bent motor shaft, so an alternate took our place in the next match. Unfortunately, our Alliance did not come out on top, and we were eliminated. It was an exciting season, and we are very proud of our Drive Team and our bot! Everyone agrees, the FIRST Age: REBUILT game was very fun to watch and play.
We were able to end on a very high note, as teammate Anvi Mathur was named a FIRST Leadership Award Finalist at the Wisconsin State Championship! Anvi stood out among the State’s best student leaders, and this honor allowed her to advance to the World Championship in Houston!
But wait! There’s more! In conjunction with the State competition, our team ALSO hosted the first Udder Chaos FIRST Lego League (FLL) Post-Season Invitational! Fourteen teams competed in a Wisconsin-infused (complete with cows and chickens!) FIRST Age: UNEARTHED competition. Participants also had the opportunity to tour the FRC State Championship with FRC Buddy Teams. Together, they watched a few matches, visited the pits, collected bling, and witnessed the path that FIRST offers them. Many teams are excited to come back for next year’s challenge!
It has been an amazing season, and we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for your support! The team looks forward to our summer events, such as our 12th annual Summer STEM Camp, the 4th of July Parade, and off-season competitions, just to name a few. Please stay up-to-date by following us on social media. We can’t wait for FIRST Canopy: BIOCORE next January!