The Mound Westonka Tonkabots came away as champions of both the Lake Superior Regional and Double DECCer Championship robotics competitions on March 1, earning a trip to Worlds for the second consecutive year
Click on the above image for more photos from the regional robotics competition
March 6, 2025 — The Mound Westonka High School robotics team, the Tonkabots (Team 6147), has done it again this season, earning yet another championship title from their regional competition in Duluth, proving that last year’s “Cinderella story” was no stroke of luck.
Last weekend, 108 teams from seven states as far away as Florida gathered in Duluth for the largest regional robotics competition in the country. Teams were split into two FIRST Robotics regional competitions held under one DECC Arena roof. The Tonkabots competed against 53 other teams in the Lake Superior Regionals.
The Tonkabots fought their way up the ranks in the qualifying rounds, where their teamwork, skills and engineering carried them into fifth place, earning them a spot in the finals. Going into alliance selection as #5 alliance captains, the Tonkabots were the first pick of alliance #2, competing alongside Team 2847 “Megahertz” from Fairmont, Minnesota and Team 6574 “Ferradermis” from Whitewater, Wisconsin in the final rounds. Together, the three teams not only clinched the coveted regional champions’ blue banner and trophy, but they also went on to win the “Double DECCer Championship,” a single-match showdown against the winners of the Northern Lights Regional. This victory also earned the Tonkabots a coveted slot in the World Championships in April.
'Coopertition' in FIRST Robotics
Joining together with teams you previously competed against seems counterintuitive for a sport, but that’s just one of the many things that makes FIRST Robotics unique. “Coopertition” and “Gracious Professionalism” are the terms coined by the organization, as teams are encouraged, and even required, to work together throughout the competition. One doesn’t have to spend much time wandering through the “pits” at a competition before spotting a team helping another troubleshoot their wiring issue, sharing parts, helping debug code or congratulating their competition.
FIRST Robotics blends the high-energy excitement and spectacle of a sporting event with real-world engineering challenges. Working under the intense pressure of tight deadlines, the team had only eight weeks of nights and weekends to build a robot that would accomplish the goals revealed globally on Jan. 4 “kickoff day,” all the while carefully considering the 164-page game manual of rules and specifications. Last weekend marked “week one” of six weeks of regional competitions that will be held between now and the World Championship.
Meet the Tonkabots: Growing Stronger Each Year
With the help of their advisor and engineering teacher Dale Kimball and Tonakbots alumnus and coach Ashton Demmer, 47 Mound Westonka High School students in grades 8-12 work alongside a group of dedicated adult volunteer parents, mentors and sponsors who support them along the way. The team has grown in size following last year’s success. “There has been increased interest in joining robotics, even with 11 seniors graduating last year,” coach Kimball said. “The Tonkabots are a very young team right now with only four seniors on the team.”
This year’s ocean-themed challenge requires robots to pick up large rubber balls called “algae” and sections of PVC pipe called “coral,” scoring them in various elements of the playing field from ground level to 8 feet in the air. The first 15 seconds of the match are entirely autonomous, meaning the robot performs tasks completely on its own using code written by the students. When the buzzer sounds, students step forward, grab their controls and speed through the course, attempting to capture as many points as possible in the remaining 2 minutes and 15 seconds of the match. In the final seconds, robots are challenged with climbing a “cage,” lifting their 130-pound robot off of the floor.
“This year’s build was so much more challenging,” Kimball explained. “The students have definitely put in the hours to produce the best possible robot. Scouting the other teams had a huge impact on our success this year also.”
Preparing for Worlds
Looking ahead, the Tonkabots will be competing in a second regional event, the North Star Regional at the University of Minnesota, from April 2-5. Between now and the World Championships, the team will be working on improving their autonomous play. “[We] hope to go from scoring two game pieces to four in the first 15 seconds,” Kimball said. The team will also be working on improving their ability to intake and manipulate coral and algae with a goal of creating a more well-rounded robot.
The Tonkabots would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all the local businesses who have supported them so far this season. They are still looking for new sponsors to become a part of their story as they represent Westonka on a global stage at the World Championships this spring. “Bus and lodging are very expensive, and the Tonkabots are a self-funded program," Kimball explained. The team plans to travel to Houston April 16-19, joining 50,000 people from over 50 countries at the largest robotics competition in the world.
If you or your company would like to make a financial contribution to the Tonkabots’ continued success and the future of these incredibly hard-working students, visit www.tonkabots.com/sponsor
