GATOR

There were a number of judged team and individual awards that were unique to the event. Below are the list of the 2025 awards and recipients.
Judging was only pit interviews for team awards and submitted essays for individuals awards.

Interested in sponsoring an award for 2026? Email info@kssrobotics.org

Team Attribute Award
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  (Awarded to 20744  - 24Karat) 

Bellow Brigade -  Team that displays the most united spirit and enthusiasm, on and off the playing field. (Awarded to Junk Drawer FTC)  
Reptile Resilience (Sponsored by REV Robotics) - Awarded to a team that has faced challenges but persisted, adapted, and pushed forward to rise above obstacles. (Awarded to West Geauga)  

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 received a gift coupon to Polymaker. (Awarded to Techno Domination) 

Swamp Synergy  - Awarded to the team that can best articulate their game strategy based on their robot strengths and their team's unique capabilities. (Awarded to 8120 Electric Hornets) 

Judge's Award

Conservationist Choice  - Recognizes a team with unique creativity or impact, and stand out beyond the standard award categories. (Awarded to 8581

Individual Awards

Gator Trailblazer - Recognizes a female student team member, who demonstrates leadership, serves as a role model, and is an emerging STEM leader. (Awarded to Diya K, 20744 - 24Karat)

Alligator Ally (Mentor Award) - Recognizes a mentor that meets one of both of the following criteria (Awarded  to Ms. G - 8120 Electric Hornets

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

or 

2. 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.  (Awarded to Mr. J - Techno Donation) 

Tailwind Award - Recognizes an outstanding volunteer whose dedication and efforts were crucial in making GATOR a success (Mike S. & Blake S.) 

Robot Performance Award

Chomp Champion - Winning Alliance

Captain - 20744 24Karat

First Pick - 8120 Electric Hornets (Partnered with West G) 

Chomp Champion Finalist - Finalist Alliance

Captain - Techno Domination

First Pick - 8581 

For reference, below is the 2025 schedule. Schedule is based on number of competing teams. 

Friday, August 1st

6 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. - 2 p.m. : Qualification Matches and Judge Callbacks

2:15 p.m. to 2::30 p.m. : Alliance Selection

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

Thank you to the following organizations for participating in our 2025 GATOR Opportunity & Interactive Fair

FIRST Lego League - Positive Protons 

First Lego League - Science Sisters

FRC  #677 Murphy's Outlaws

FRC #2399 - Fighting Unicorns

International Women's Air and Space Museum 

Kent State University

Replay for Kids

University of Akron

8120 - Electric Hornets (Kirtland, Ohio) 

• Partnered with West Geauga 

8581 - Ædificatores (Kent, Ohio)

20744 - 24Karat (Kent, Ohio)

23493 - Techno Domination (Solon, Ohio)

28264 - Junk Drawer Robotics (Lodi, Ohio)

Fe203

• Partnered with 24540 Zip Tried

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. We encourage FLL and FRC students to participate as an opportunity to try something new. If you want to participate for the experience, you can form a team and build an FTC robot during the offseason, or join a team for the day. 

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 a FRC or FLL event at this time. However, the goal is to expand GATOR 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.