FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington is hosting the Blue Crew Robotics Team for the 2026 season, providing the regional high school robotics program with workspace in the Ricker Addition on campus.

The team, which competes in the FIRST Robotics Competition as Blue Crew Robotics Team 6153, is working in the former Sweatt Winter building. The program includes students from Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Spruce Mountain High School in Jay, the Foster Career & Technical Education Center in Farmington, and homeschooled students from across western Maine.

Team member Mason LaBonte said having a dedicated space has made a significant difference for the group.

“Having a consistent and functional space has been important for a team like ours and has allowed us to stay focused and productive throughout the season,” LaBonte said. “The team is very grateful to the University of Maine at Farmington for serving as a sponsor this year and for its support.”

He said the partnership with UMF also reflects the university’s longstanding connections with the region.

“Three of our mentors are UMF alumni and are happy to be back offering opportunities for students on campus to get more experience either with STEM programs, or with the dynamics of the team itself,” LaBonte said. “UMF has always had close ties to this community that we pride ourselves on being active in so being able to connect with them has been wonderful and a natural fit.”

The new location has provided space for the team to design, build and test its robot while preparing for competitions and outreach work.

“This location has allowed the team to have a workspace to build, test, and code our robot while also providing the space for our business and STEM community outreach planning,” LaBonte said. “We were able to set up and practice working in our ‘pit’ which is a 10 by 10 space each team gets at an event to work on the robot throughout the competition.”

The expanded space has also helped accommodate new members.

“We have a lot of new members and the space has allowed us to involve more people as we can break out into smaller tasks and groups,” LaBonte said.

The Blue Crew includes about 20 students representing 14 towns across four counties through the Foster Tech program, reflecting strong regional interest in robotics and STEM education.

COMPETITION

Each season, FIRST Robotics teams have only a short window to prepare their machines.

“FIRST robotics teams have from early January to about March to learn the challenge for the year and design, build, and code a functioning robot so the ability to use space at UMF came at just the right time and was absolutely vital to what we’ve been able to do this year,” LaBonte said.

The team’s first competition of the season is the Pine Tree District event in Falmouth.

“Our first competition of the season is in Falmouth this weekend so it’s down to the wire for the team to finish the robot,” LaBonte said. “The past week we’ve been working on a mechanism to allow the robot to climb as part of the challenge this year.”

Students are also preparing reports and presentations for judges, who evaluate teams in categories such as business planning, sustainability and STEM outreach.

“We’ve also been working on writing reports and presentations because at the competition we will have the opportunity to talk to judges for awards related to our business, sustainability, and STEM outreach programs,” LaBonte said. “We have a lot of irons in the fire right now.”

The team will also compete at the University of Vermont District event later in the season.

“It might seem like a lot of work for just two competitions but it’s really about the process and it is worth it when we get to show the results of it,” LaBonte said.

Blue Crew operates through student-led subteams focused on engineering, coding, design, business operations and outreach.

Students also run a root beer float fundraiser that helps support the program while teaching entrepreneurial skills.

“Our team breaks up the many tasks into ‘subteams’ that allow people to learn and develop skills from other members,” LaBonte said. “Captains of these teams have to create a résumé and interview giving students valuable practice in these skills.”

“One of the core values of FIRST robotics is what they call ‘gracious professionalism’ which is about how students can present themselves and work with others towards a common goal,” LaBonte said.

Community support remains important to sustaining the program.

“Our team is 100% free to participate in so we cover the travel costs for all members and that also takes a bunch of our budget,” LaBonte said. “Community members can support the team by helping spread the word about the program and encouraging students to get involved in robotics and STEM opportunities.”