Teams from across Central Alberta compete during the FIRST Tech Challenge Canoe League competition hosted at Lacombe Composite High School on Dec. 14. (Supplied)

By Vince Burke, Wolf Creek Public Schools

Submitted

United Robotics of Lacombe earns top finishes at Home FTC Competition

Dec 23, 2025 | 3:58 PM

United Robotics of Lacombe (URL) opened the 2025–2026 FIRST Tech Challenge season with a strong showing on home turf, placing 1st, 3rd, 7th and 8th out of 11 teams during the morning Canoe League competition hosted Dec. 14 at École Secondaire Lacombe Composite High School (ÉSLCHS).

Leading the way was URL Mech Mavericks 2.0, which finished first overall, followed closely by URL Mech Mummies in third place. URL R.A.I.D. and URL Rampage rounded out the results in seventh and eighth, marking a successful opening competition for both veteran and rookie teams.

The event brought together teams from ÉSLCHS, Lindsay Thurber Composite High School, St. Joseph High School, Notre Dame High School, and the Red Deer community as part of the Central Alberta Canoe League. Each team competed 10 times in alliance-based matches, learning how to strategize, communicate, and adapt under real competition conditions.

“This being the first competition of the year, there was a lot of learning happening on the fly,” said Steven Schultz, lead mentor with United Robotics of Lacombe. “Our students gained valuable experience around strategy, avoiding penalties, and working effectively with alliance partners.”

This season’s official FTC challenge, DECODE, features an archaeology theme where two alliances of two robots compete on a 12-by-12-foot field, collecting and scoring ball-shaped “artifacts” and creating specific scoring patterns called motifs.

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United Robotics of Lacombe has four teams and 25 students competing this year. The program includes Team 4169 – URL R.A.I.D., founded in 2010 and the oldest FTC team in Alberta; Team 27622 – URL Mech Mavericks 2.0, an intermediate team made up of ÉSLCHS and homeschool students; and rookie teams URL Rampage and URL Mech Mummies.

Students described the competition as demanding but rewarding.

“We learned a lot about what our robot was capable of doing and discovered how important practice scrimmages are for building an effective strategy,” said Mauro Garcia Rangel from URL R.A.I.D.

URL Rampage captain Wyatt Ohlerking added, “This is the hardest fun I have ever had.”

In addition to the FTC matches, URL hosted a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) fun competition for five new Central Alberta teams, helping introduce younger students to robotics and STEM learning.

The season continues with the Inukshuk Interleague Championships on Jan. 31 in Stony Plain. Top teams will advance to the Alberta Championships in Red Deer, with a chance to qualify for the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas.

United Robotics of Lacombe(URL) extends sincere thanks to its mentors, volunteers, and sponsors — including Dow, John Deere, and BP’s — for supporting student innovation and hands-on STEM learning. More information about URL can be found at www.unitedroboticslacombe.weekly.com.