GATOR

Girls Advancing Technology, Opportunity, & Robotics

Hosted By Laurel School Robotic Teams and KSS Robotics

Sunday, August 23, 2026

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

Last Update: 1/30/2026

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

For 2026, FIRST Tech Challenge "Decode" 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 students interested in joining your team for the day or if any of your teammates have a sibling that would be willing to step in.

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

OPTION 3: (NEW FOR 2026): Individual Registration - This is an option for girls who are not part of a team or teams that do not have enough girls to fill a drive team. The goal is to help pair girls with a team that has limited female drive team members and/or has an extra robot

Pairings are dependent on availability. Teams providing robots will be expected to mentor guest members.

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

2026 Team Registration fee - $50/team; $25/partner and indivdual registration

Invoices will be sent a couple week prior to competition.

*If the registration fee is a barrier for your team to participate, please email info@kssrobotics.org

Team and Partner Registration

2026 Team and Partner Registration will open near the end of the official FIRST season!

Volunteer Registration

2026 Volunteer Registration will open near the end of the official FIRST season!

In the meantime, please consider volunteering for in -season tournaments!

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

Testimonials from 2025 Event

"One of the girls in our program didn't think robotics was for her until she competed at GATOR. Now she gets so excited for robotics."
"GATOR was our daughter's first tournament. She had an incredible experience and her confidence grew when her team made it to the finals."
"GATOR was the first time our team had girls in over 3 years, and then they joined the team for the official season."
"GATOR made us rethink about involving and including girls on our team."

Judging & Awards

There are number of judged team and individual awards that were unique to the event. 2026 awards are TBD!

For reference, 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 28264 - Junk Drawer FTC)
Reptile Resilience (Sponsored by REV Robotics) - Team that has faced challenges but persisted, adapted, and pushed forward to rise above obstacles. Recipient team received a gift certificate to REV Robotics.

(Awarded to 26833 - WestG Wolver Machines)

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 23493 - 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 (Sponsored by REV Robotics) - A team with unique creativity or impact, and stand out beyond the standard award categories. Recipient team received a gift certificate to REV Robotics.

(Awarded to 8581- Ædificatores)

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

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

(Awarded to Ms. G, 8120 - Electric Hornets)

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

(Awarded to Mr. J - 23493 - Techno Domination)

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

(Awarded to Mike S. & Blake S.)

Robot Performance Award

Chomp Champion - Winning Alliance

Captain - 20744 24Karat

First Pick - 8120 Electric Hornets, partnered with 26833 - WestG Wolver Machines

Chomp Champion Finalist - Finalist Alliance

Captain - 23493 Techno Domination

First Pick - 8581 Ædificatores

2026 Schedule

2026 Schedule is to be determined. 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: 3::00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Opportunity & Interactive Fair

We are looking for STEM organizations to participate in the Opportunity & Interactive Fair! Please email info@kssrobotics.org if interested.

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

FLL- Positive Protons

FLL - 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

2026 Registered Teams

Registration will open spring 2026

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 grow their confidence and 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 who has also never competed on the drive. At the end, we hope you have the courage and confidence to be on your team's drive team for the upcoming season.

At 2025 event, there were a handful of girls who have never been on a drive team, or have never competed in FTC prior to the event!

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

Not at all! Since this is an off season, this is a great time to get your feet wet in FTC. We encourage FLL and FRC students to participate as an opportunity to try something new and have some fun. 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.

NEW FOR 2026 - We are offering individual registration. Stay tuned for details.

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 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 or partner with an exisiting FTC team for the day, as a training ground for technical and competition skills (and because it will be fun) . 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!