SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition To Be Held For 20th Consecutive Year on Long Island

Eighty-Five Teams from Long Island, the U.S. and the World to Compete at Hofstra University for DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE Presented by the Boeing Company
FIRST Robotics Competition

Area students are charged up for the 20th annual SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition, which will be held in a double-header style, with tournaments March 26 to 27 and March 29 to 30. Presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) — also known as FIRST Long Island — and Zebra Technologies, at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, these back-to-back regionals feature 85 teams from across Long Island, New York State, the United States and around the world. These students, aged 14 to 18, utilize 120-pound robots to compete in alliance-style tournament rounds under this year’s challenge, dubbed DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM Presented by The Boeing Company. Long Island residents are encouraged to attend to support these local high school students.

The SBPLI Long Island Regional features 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 and mathematics (STEM) 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 DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM Presented by The Boeing Company, two alliances of deep space travelers race to place hatch panels on their rockets and cargo ship, load valuable cargo for transport off the planet, and return to the safety of their habitat. All before the next sandstorm sweeps through. Each alliance has two rocket ships, one cargo ship, and a habitat.

The first 15 seconds of DESTINATION: DEEP SPACESM Presented by The Boeing Company, a sandstorm limits driver visibility so robots independently follow pre-programmed instructions or are operated by human drivers via video from their habitat. Throughout the remaining two minutes and 15 seconds, students control the team robots to accomplish the DESTINATION DEEP SPACE tasks. Detailed instructions for each of these tasks are available in the accompanying official FIRST DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE Overview and a visual description can be found in this animated video from FIRST.

This year marks the 20th season of the FIRST Robotics Competition, which was introduced to Long Island by SBPLI’s late Founder, Fred Breithut, using his vision for the students of Long Island and the innovative program developed through FIRST. Mr. Breithut, a former educator, founded SBPLI 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, SBPLI formed over 100 successful partnerships between high schools and local businesses.

In 2000, the inaugural SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition was held under a tent at Suffolk Community College’s Ammerman Campus in Selden, with 23 teams participating; it was the first-ever Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held in New York State. Since then, FIRST Robotics Competition on Long Island has grown tremendously. In 2018, SBPLI – FIRST Long Island hosted 78 teams, requiring two, rather than one Regional event. In 2019, the Long Island Regional will host 85 teams, with 17 competing from foreign countries—the most in the Regional’s history.

The presenting co-sponsor of this year’s competition is Zebra Technologies, a technology development company that provides industry-tailored, end-to-end technological solutions for retail/ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and other industries. FESTO Corporation has also announced that, once again, it is sponsoring the competition, as the company has done since the initial FIRST Robotics Competition Long Island Regional took place two decades ago.

The event is free to the public. Those in attendance are encouraged to cheer on their home teams, 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 SBPLI representatives, who can explain to them the different tournaments the organization presents and how one can form a team.

“The SBPLI Long Island Regional is an amazing way for students to showcase their talents in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields,” says Larry Toonkel, Co-Director, FIRST Robotics Competition, SBPLI/FIRST Long Island. “We are very excited to see what all our Long Island teams bring to the table, and to host teams from across the state, country and even the world at our tournaments.”

“We are certain that these dual events will provide an even greater level of exhilaration for participating teams and gives our local teams an added opportunity to advance to the Championships,” adds Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director, SBPLI/FIRST Long Island. “With an increasing number of Long Island FIRST Robotics Competition teams joining each year, we plan to continue double events in our region. But, in order to accomplish this goal, we’ll need the continued support of our valued schools, families, volunteers and donors.”

SBPLI/FIRST Long Island is the title sponsor of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Captain of Innovation-level sponsors include altice USA, BAE Systems, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Farmingdale State College School of Engineering Technology, FESTO Corporation, Hofstra University, Long Island University (LIU Post), Mancuso Charitable Trust, New York State Department of Education, Northrop Grumman, Oerlikon Metco, School Construction Consultants, Schenck USA, SCOPE Education Services, Stony Brook University, and Telephonics. Friends of the Future-level sponsors include accessLinx, Inc.; Brookhaven Science Associates; Robert Catell; Cradle of Aviation; The Dittmar Family; Engineers Joint Committee of Long Island (EJCLI); IEEE -Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Ingerman Smith, LLP; North Atlantic Industries; The Pillai Family Fund; Spectrum Design Foundation; and the Stern Family.

The list of teams participating in the 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition #1 (March 26-27) is as follows:

Team Number Team Name School/Organization Hometown
11 MORT Mt. Olive High School Flanders, NJ
28 Pierson Whalers Pierson Middle/High School Sag Harbor
271 Mechanical Marauders Bay Shore High School Bay Shore
353 POBots Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School Plainview
358 Robotic Eagles Hauppauge High School Hauppauge
514 Miller Place Robotics Miller Place High School Miller Place
564 Longwood Robotics Longwood High School Middle Island
569 Rambots East Meadow Kiwanis & Home School Westbury
1468 Hicksville J-Birds Hicksville High School Hicksville
1554 Oceanside Robotics Oceanside 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 Old Westbury
2161 Robocats Walt Whitman High School Huntington Station
2347 Metal Mercs Walter G. O’Connell High School Copiague
2579 LIC Robodogs Long Island City High School Astoria
2638 Rebels Great Neck South High School Great Neck
2869 Regal Eagles Bethpage Senior High School Bethpage
2875 Cyberhawks Cold Spring Harbor High School Cold Spring Harbor
2905 Sultans of Turkiye Darussafaka Educational Institutions Istanbul, Turkey
3173 IgKnighters McQuaid Jesuit High School Rochester, NY
3624 ThunderColts Half Hollow Hills High School (East & West) Huntington Station
3646 Integra Bahcesehir High School for Science and Technology Istanbul, Turkey
4567 The Mechanized Mafia Seaford High School Seaford
4641 United Red Oak High School Red Oak, TX
5298 E-TECH CHARGERS Energy Tech High School Astoria
6024 R Factor Neighborhood Group Mumbai, India
6636 Full Metal Beavers Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences Jamaica
6911 SO BOTZ Tappan Zee High School Orangeburg
6941 IronPulse Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School Shanghai, China
7239 Hell Robotics Ole Vig Upper Secondary School Hell, Norway
7242 Prism Elsa High School Hong Kong, China
7280 MITO Octopus United World College Suzhou, China
7539 Elev8 Dhirubhai Ambani International School Mumbai, India
7611 AMAL HAWKS Adnan Menderes Anatolian High School Istanbul, Turkey
7673 FORMOSAN SIKA Heng Yee Catholic High School New Taipei City, TPQ, Chinese Taipei
7748 TECHTOLIA ROBOTIC Tenzįle Erdoğan Anadolu İmam Hatįp Lįsesį Istanbul, Turkey

The list of teams participating in the 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition #2 (March 29-30) is as follows:

Team Number Team Name School/Organization Hometown
263 Sachem Aftershock Sachem High School (North & East) Ronkonkoma
271 Mechanical Marauders Bay Shore Senior High School Bay Shore
287 Floyd William Floyd High School Mastic Beach
329 Mohawks Patchogue-Medford High School Medford
340 G.R.R. (Greater Rochester Robotics) Churchville-Chili High School Churchville
352 The Green Machine Carle Place Middle & Senior High School Carle Place
496 Royals Earl L. Vandermeulen High School Port Jefferson
522 ROBO WIZARDS Ralph R McKee Career and Technical High School Staten Island
527 Red Dragons Plainedge Senior High School Massapequa
533 The PSIcotics Lindenhurst Senior High School Lindenhurst
545 ROBODAWGS Island Trees High School Levittown
564 Longwood Robotics Longwood High School Middle Island
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 High School West Islip
884 Mechanical Mules Malverne Senior High School Malverne
1156 Under Control Marista Pio XII Novo Hamburgo, RS, Brazil
1468 Hicksville J-Birds Hicksville High School Hicksville
1537 Robotic Knights Uniondale Home School Uniondale
1751 The Warriors Comsewogue High School Port Jefferson Station
1796 RoboTigers Queens Technical High School Long Island City
2487 Mechanical Animals Sayville High School West Sayville
2601 Steel Hawks Townsend Harris High School Flushing
2872 Cybercats The Wheatley School Old Westbury
3015 Ranger Robotics Spencerport High School Spencerport
3137 T-Birds Connetquot High School Bohemia
3171 Hurricanes Westhampton Beach Senior High School Westhampton Beach
3624 ThunderColts Half Hollow Hills High School Huntington Station
3950 RoboGym Robotics North Shore Senior High School Glen Head
4006 CIBorgs Central Islip Senior High School Central Islip
4458 Infernobotix Center Moriches High School Center Moriches
5016 Huntington Robotics Huntington High School Huntington
5099 Northport High School Robotics Northport Senior High School Northport
5599 The Sentinels Benjamin N. Cardozo High School Bayside
5659 Team Supreme Bridgehampton School Bridgehampton
5736 Kingsmen Kings Park High School Kings Park
6422 GearHeadz Rocky Point/North Shore Youth Council Rocky Point
6423 Flyer Robotics Ward Melville Senior High School East Setauket
6746 Mustangs Our Lady of Mercy Academy Syosset
6806 Mineola Wild Reds Mineola High School Mineola
6969 Cyborgs Clarkstown South Senior High School West Nyack
6989 KAISER Alman Lįsesį Istanbul, Turkey
7239 Hell Robotics Ole Vig Upper Secondary School Hell, Norway
7400 ThunderMiners Melville Family Community Melville
7522 Make1Robot Make1Robot/SIASUN/SolidWorks&Make1Robot Shanghai, China
7732 Artificial Intelligence Jiangsu Tianyi High School Wuxi, China