GATOR

Girls Advancing Technology, Opportunity, & Robotics

Hosted By FTC #24540 ZIP Tried and KSS Robotics

Saturday, August 2, 2025 (Setup August 1st)

Laurel School (1 Lyman Cir, Shaker Heights, OH 44122)

Last Update: 7/8/2025

What is GATOR?

GATOR (Girls Advancing Technology, Opportunity, & Robotics) is a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) offseason competition with a mission to build a supportive and empowering environment where girls can develop their skills, build their confidence, discover their capabilities, and serve as role models for the next generation of female FIRST participants and Women in STEM.

Criteria

FIRST Tech Challenge "Into the Deep" rules apply with a spin - the entire drive team must be entirely female identifying. It is HIGHLY encouraged that the pit crew is also made up of females, but it is not required. The whole team is encouraged to attend the event and support the drive team in the stands.

What if we don't have enough girls to fill drive team roles?

OPTION 1: This is your team's chance to recruit more girls onto their team. See if there is are FLL or FRC student interested in joining your team for the day. Maybe there is a local girl scout troop that wants to give it a try. See if any of your teammates have a sibling that would be willing to step in.

OPTION 2: Teams can partner with another team. You can either form your own partner team or we can help facilitate (indicate on registration). However, you can only compete with 1 robot.

Number of Teams

At this time, we are maxing out the number of teams to 16. If there is demand for more teams, we will assess.

Registration Fee

$50/team ($25/team for partner teams).

Team Registration

2025 GATOR Team Registration

Registration deadline: July 23, 2025

Volunteers

2025 GATOR Volunteer Registration

FIRST Tech Challenge Volunteer Role Descriptions
Note: Some roles may not be offered.

There are no restrictions to volunteers, with the exception of being aged 13+. We want to strive to have as many key roles filled by women as possible. However, we understand this may not be possible due to demand and experience levels. The top priority is filling all the roles.

We are willing to pair up anyone interested in learning a role with an experienced volunteer.

We highly encourage family members, alumni, FRC students, and non-competing team members to volunteer.

Awards (As of 7/8/25)

There will be a number of judged team and individual awards that are unique to the event. Below are the tentative list of awards.*
Note: Judging will only be pit interviews for team awards and submitted essays for individuals awards.

*Awards are subject to change

Interested in sponsoring an award? Email info@kssrobotics.org

Team Attribute Awards
Alligator Ambition -Recognizes a team whose collective effort goes beyond they playing field -they actively promote and connect STEM within their team, school and/or community

Bellow Brigade - Team that displays the most united spirit and enthusiasm, on and off the playing field.
Reptile Resilience - Awarded to a team that has faced challenges but persisted, adapted, and pushed forward to rise above obstacles.

Robot and Strategy Awards

Gator Innovator (Sponsored by Polymaker)- Awarded to a team that highlights their design decisions, including function, innovation, control, and aesthetics. Recipient team will receive a gift coupon to Polymaker.

Swamp Synergy - Awarded to the team that can best articulate their game strategy based on their robot strengths and their team's unique capabilities.

Judge's Award

Conservationist Choice - Recognizes a team with unique creativity or impact, and stand out beyond the standard award categories.

Individual Awards

Gator Trailblazer - Recognizes a female student team member, who demonstrates leadership, serves as a role model, and is an emerging STEM leader.

Alligator Ally (Mentor Award) - Recognizes a mentor that meets one of both of the following criteria

A female mentor who has led and inspired their team, serving as a shining example of a women in STEM.

Any mentor who has inspired and encouraged females on their team, acting as a strong advocate for women in STEM

Alligator Advocate (Parent/Family Award) - Recognizes a parent or family whose support has been vital to their team's journey.

Tailwind Award - Recognizes an outstanding volunteer whose dedication and efforts were crucial in making GATOR a success

Robot Performance Award

Chomp Champion - Winning Alliance

Chomp Champion Finalist - Finalist Alliance

Schedule (As of 6/22/25)

Below is a tentative schedule. Schedule is subject to change.

Friday, August 1st

5 p.m. - 8 p.m. : Event Setup

Saturday, August 2nd

8 a.m. - 9 a.m. : Team Arrival, Setup and Practice

9 a.m. - 10 a.m. : Initial Round of Pit Interviews

10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. : Driver's meeting and Opening Ceremonies

10 a.m.- 3 p.m. : Opportunity and Interaction Fair

11 a.m. - 12 p.m. : Qualification Matches

12 p.m. - 1 p.m. : Lunch

1 p.m. - 3 p.m. : Qualification Matches and Judge Callbacks

3:15 p.m. to 3::30 p.m. : Alliance Selection

Playoffs and Awards Ceremony: 4:00 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Opportunity and Interactive Fair (As of 6/11/25)

We plan on including an opportunity and interactive fair at the competitive, including local Women in STEM organizations, FRC & FLL Demos, and various initiatives. We will share who will be participating closer to the event.

If your organization is interested in participating, please email info@kssrobotics.org.

The following organizations have confirmed their attendance -

FIRST Ohio Youth Advisory Council

International Women's Air and Space Museum

University of Akron

Registered Teams (As of 7/8/25)

8120 - Electric Hornets (Kirtland, Ohio)

8581 - Ædificatores (Kent, Ohio)

20744 - 24Karat (Kent, Ohio)

23493 - Techno Domination (Solon, Ohio)

26708 - The Argonauts (Solon, Ohio)

28264 - Junk Drawer Robotics (Lodi, Ohio)

FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Why all girls?

Take a moment and think about how many girls are on your team. With several teams being primarily male-dominate, we want to strive to fill the gender gap within FIRST and STEM. GATOR will create an empowering environment where girls can have opportunities to reach their full potential.

What if I've never been on the drive team?

Guess What? Everyone has never been a drive team at some point. There is a first time for everything! This is a wonderful opportunity to challenge yourself, try something new, get your hands dirty, all in a safe and supportive environment. We can guarantee there will be someone at the competition in the same situation. At the end, we hope you have the courage and confidence to be on your team's drive team for the upcoming season.

Do we have to be an active FTC team or member to participate?

Since this is an off season, you are not required to be an active team or member to participate. If you want to participate for the experience, you can form a team and build an FTC robot during the offseason.

Is GATOR offered as a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) or FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL) event?

Due to limited bandwidth, funding, location, and other challenges, we are unable to offer GATOR as an FRC or FLL event at this time. However, the goal is to expand it to FRC and FLL in future seasons.

We are encouraging FRC and FLL teams to build an FTC robot in the off season and compete in the competition, as a training ground for technical and competition skills. We are also encouraging FRC students to volunteer, and we are also planning on including demos to showcase local FRC and FLL teams.

Questions

Any Questions: Send an email to info@kssrobotics.org

Keep an eye on this page for more updates and details as the come!