FIRST Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition To Be Held For 26th Consecutive Year

Forty-Nine Teams from Long Island, NYC and the World to Compete at Hofstra University for REEFSCAPESM presented by Haas
March 14, 2025
Area students are excited about the 26th annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition, which will be held March 21 to 22 at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Presented by FIRST Long Island, Zebra Technologies, Optimum and PMMI, this regional features 49 teams from across Long Island, New York City, and India. These teams’ students utilize robots to compete in alliance-style tournament rounds under this year’s challenge, dubbed  REEFSCAPESM Presented by Haas. Long Island residents are encouraged to attend to support these local high school students.

 

The FIRST Long Island Regionals feature teams of high school-aged students competing in a cooperative tournament-style robotics competition. Guided by their mentors, students rely on their skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) to compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play and sportsmanship. This high-energy event further emphasizes the importance of high-impact partnerships between students, universities, businesses and communities.

 

In REEFSCAPESM presented by Haas, two competing alliances are invited to score coral, harvest algae, and attach to the barge before time runs out. Alliances earn additional rewards for meeting specific scoring thresholds and for cooperating with their opponents.

 

This year marks the 26th season of the FIRST Robotics Competition supported by FIRST Long Island using Founder Fred Breithut’s vision for the students of Long Island and the innovative program developed through FIRST. Mr. Breithut, a former educator, founded FIRST Long Island (then known as the School Business Partnership of Long Island) in 1984 to address the gap between the skills needed by Long Island’s business community and the relevant preparation provided by local school districts. In the first 15 years of its operation, FIRST Long Island formed over 100 successful partnerships between high schools and local businesses. It now focuses on running the full suite of FIRST programs.

 

The presenting co-sponsors of this year’s competition are Zebra Technologies and Optimum, both long-term supporters of FIRST and FIRST Long Island. Zebra Technologies provides industry-tailored, end-to-end technological solutions for retail/e-commerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and other industries. Optimum is the local provider of Internet, mobile, phone and TV services. This year, we are thrilled to have the Packaging Machine Manufacturing Institute (PMMI) as a co-sponsor as well. As a trade association, they represent more than 900 manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, components and materials as well as providers of related equipment to the packaging and processing industry.

 

The event is free to the public. Those in attendance are encouraged to cheer on their home teams and visit the teams’ pit areas to see firsthand how these students are able to program, repair and operate their robots. Visitors can also meet with FIRST Long Island representatives, who can explain to them the different tournaments the organization presents and how one can form a team.

 

“The FIRST Long Island Regional is an amazing culmination of teams’ design and building activities and a way for students to showcase their talents,” says Larry Toonkel, Director, FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Long Island. “We are very excited to see what all our Long Island teams bring to the table and to host off-Long Island teams, including some international teams.”
“We are certain that this event will provide a great opportunity for teams to live the FIRST experience and have a chance to advance to the Championships,” adds Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director, FIRST Long Island. “To accomplish these goals, we’ll need the continued support of our valued schools, families, volunteers and donors.”

 

FIRST Long Island, along with Zebra Technologies, Optimum, and PMMI are the title sponsors of the FIRST Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Captain of Innovation-level sponsors include Cradle of Aviation Museum, Farmingdale State College, FESTO, Northrop Grumman, PSEG Long Island, Schenck USA, School Construction Consultants, Inc., SCOPE Education Services, TTM Technologies, the U.S. Army and the United States Navy.

 

Friends of the Future-level sponsors include accessLinx, Inc., Brookhaven Science Associates, Inc. (BNL), the Dittmar Family, Mary Ellen Freeley, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Yacov Shamash and the Stern Family.

 

The list of teams participating in the 2025 FIRST Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics is as follows:

 

Team No.
Team Name
School/Organization
Hometown
28
Pierson Whalers
Pierson Middle/High School
Sag Harbor
263
Aftershock
Sachem High Schools North & East
Ronkonkoma
271
Mechanical Marauders
Bay Shore Senior High School
Bay Shore
287
Floyd Robotics
William Floyd High School
Mastic Beach
329
Mohawks
Patchogue-Medford High School
Medford
353
POBots
Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK High School
Plainview
358
Robotic Eagles
Hauppauge High School
Hauppauge
496
Royals
Earl L. Vandermeulen High School
Port Jefferson
514
Entropy
Miller Place High School
Miller Place
527
Red Dragons
Plainedge Senior High School
Massapequa
533
The PSIcotics
Lindenhurst Senior High School
Lindenhurst
545
ROBO-DAWGS
Island Trees High School
Levittown
564
Longwood RoboLions
Longwood High School
Middle Island
569
Rambots 569
East Meadow Chamber of Commerce/East Meadow Kiwanis
Westbury
601
BayBots
Hampton Bays Secondary School
Hampton Bays
806
The Brooklyn Blacksmiths
Xaverian High School & Fontbonne Hall Academy
Brooklyn
810
The Mechanical Bulls
Smithtown High School East & West
Smithtown
870
TEAM R.I.C.E.
Southold Junior-Senior High School
Southold
871
Robotechs
West Islip Senior High School
West Islip
884
Mechanical Mules
Malverne Senior High School
Malverne
1468
Hicksville J-Birds
Hicksville High School
Hicksville
1546
Chaos, Inc.
Baldwin Senior High School
Baldwin
1554
Oceanside Kraken
Oceanside Senior High School
Oceanside
1601
Quantum Samurai
Aviation Career and Technical High School
Long Island City
1803
Vikings
Paul D. Schreiber Senior High School
Port Washington
2027
Robotic Dragons
Westbury High School
Westbury
2161
Robocats
Walt Whitman High School
Huntington Station
2347
Trial and Error
Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School
Copiague
2487
Mechanical Animals
Sayville High School & Bayport-Blue Point High School
West Sayville
2869
Regal Eagles
Bethpage Senior High School
Bethpage
2872
CyberCats
Wheatley School
Old Westbury
2875
CyberHawks
Cold Spring Harbor High School
Cold Spring Harbor
3137
T-Birds
Connetquot High School
Bohemia
3624
Soaring Colts
Half Hollow Hills High School East & West
Huntington Station
3950
RoboGym Robotics
North Shore Senior High School
Glen Head
4458
Infernobotix
Center Moriches High School
Center Moriches
4567
The Mechanized Mafia
Seaford Senior High School
Seaford
5016
Huntington Robotics
Huntington High School
Huntington
5099
Northport Robotics
Northport Senior High School
Northport
5736
Kingsmen
Kings Park High School
Kings Park
6024
R Factor
Neighborhood Group
Mumbai, India
6423
Ward Melville Iron Patriots
Ward Melville Senior High School
East Setauket
6806
Mineola Wild Reds
Mineola High School
Mineola
8267
Riptide Robotics 8267
Long Beach High School
Long Beach
9016
Syosset SuperSonics
Syosset High School
Syosset
9646
The Marinators
Southampton High School
Southampton
9692
Sigma Powered By Adipro
Family/Community
Mumbai, India
10621
Crusaders
Long Island Lutheran Middle & High School*
Glen Head

 

*Denotes a rookie team.