Webster’s SparX robotics team has strong showing at Finger Lakes Regional

About a week ago, I posted a blog about our One Webster SparX 1126 robotics team, which was preparing to take part in the Finger Lakes Regional First Robotics Competition at RIT. The event was held last weekend, and I recently received a follow-up from the school district about their strong performance.

It was a big, very competitive field. Despite the “Finger Lakes” name, the regional event drew an international crowd, including 56 teams from as far away as Ohio, Canada, Hawaii, and even Chinese Taipei.

SparX finished the weekend ranked 14th out of 56 teams, boasting a 7-3-0 record. Over the course of 10 matches, the team achieved a respectable high score of 358 points.

“It was a great competition, great learning!” said head coach David Schenk. “Our intake and shooter systems performed flawlessly. We helped our alliance win in semi-finals Match 9, and we competed against some of the best teams in the area.”

This year’s action-packed FIRST game, titled Rebuilt, features an archaeological and restoration theme. Teams are challenged to build industrial-sized robots that can recover “artifacts” (represented by yellow, 6-inch foam balls) and power up their alliance’s central scoring structure, the “hub,” by placing or throwing the artifacts inside. The field is also littered with obstacles, requiring robots to navigate over bumps or drive under a trench if their design is short enough.

Team 1126 is already preparing for their next challenge. They’ll travel to Albany on April 16-17 to compete in the Tech Valley Regional, where they hope to further improve their ranking. Fans and supporters are encouraged to follow the team on Instagram for live updates during the event.

“We’re already planning improvements and can’t wait to compete again!” Schenk added.

About SparX Team 1126

Team 1126 SparX is comprised of high school students from Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas high schools. The team has been a dedicated participant in FIRST® for 24 seasons, dating back to 2003, and has won 30 awards throughout its history.

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(posted 3/19/2026)

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