Tonkabots team members demonstrated their robot at Tommy’s Olympic Speed Walk on June 2
Click the above image for more photos of the Tonkabots' activities
June 3, 2025 — On May 9-10, the Mound Westonka High School robotics team, the Tonkabots, was among the top 36 teams in the state invited to compete in the MSHSL State Championship at the Ganglehoff Center on the Concordia University campus in St. Paul.
In Minnesota, FIRST Robotics teams participate in the MSHSL State Championship by invitation only. Eligibility is based on a team’s performance at its first FIRST regional competition—for the Tonkabots, that was a first-place finish at the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth. Teams earn points based on their performance in the qualification rounds, playoff results, alliance selection, and certain awards. The top-performing teams, based on total points, are invited to state.
The Tonkabots faced a challenging competition day, dealing with technical and mechanical setbacks in nearly every match. Despite these issues, the team advanced to the semifinals after being selected by the No. 3 alliance. They teamed up with Team 2847, Megahertz from Fairmont, and Team 2883, Fred from Warroad High School. The alliance battled hard but ultimately lost both semifinal matches, ending their bid for a state title this year.
State win or not, the Tonkabots ended their season with heads held high. They not only opened the year by winning their first regional competition but also became the only known team to take home back-to-back Double DECCer Championships—one from the Northern Lights Regional in 2024 and one from the Lake Superior Regional in 2025.
This season, the Tonkabots challenged themselves further by taking on an ambitious schedule, doubling their participation in FIRST competitions. The team participated in two “Week Zero” scrimmage events and added a second regional event, where they earned a second-place finish and the coveted Best Autonomous Award. With only six weeks to design, build, and test a robot from scratch, taking on additional competitions compressed their timeline leading up to the World Championships. Still, the determined team welcomed the challenge, gaining valuable experience and keeping Westonka's name prominent on the FIRST Robotics map.
One of the team’s proudest accomplishments this season was its transformation from a relatively unknown group to a dark horse competitor that top teams began to recognize. A unique aspect of FIRST Robotics is its emphasis on “coopertition”—a blend of cooperation and competition. In most sports, getting into the semifinals and finals is determined solely by performance and points won along the way. In FIRST, however, a team’s relationship with other teams is almost as important as their performance, as each final alliance captain chooses their own alliance partners to take into the finals.
The Tonkabots learned this lesson the hard way at last year’s World Championships. Despite ranking high enough statistically to advance to the finals, they were overlooked by top alliances in favor of better-known teams with existing relationships. This year, armed with that experience and a trip to Worlds already under their belt, the team prioritized collaboration. As a result, they found themselves on multiple teams’ pick lists and made it into the finals of every competition they entered—including one of the most competitive divisions at the World Championships. Learning to build relationships proved as important as building the robot itself, which is a skill they will carry into their future careers.
On May 18, the Tonkabots celebrated their season at an end-of-the-year banquet, thanking their coaches and mentors, celebrating team members who lettered in robotics, and honoring outgoing seniors. While the team is always sad to see each year’s round of seniors go, they are very intentional about training the next round of leaders, leaving the team in excellent hands each new season to keep the momentum going.
But the season doesn’t end at the banquet. As the team's success grows, so does its off-season. This year, the Tonkabots were invited to be a part of Tommy’s Olympic Speed Walk on June 2, interacting with the community, demonstrating their robot, and even participating in the mascot race. From August 4-8, the Tonkabots will host their third annual five-day Robotics Creator Camp for middle school students at Westonka High School. The camp is student-led, and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Tonkabots’ team. (Space is limited; to register visit www.tonkabots.com).
The team also plans to exhibit their robot at the Minnesota State Fair later this summer.
In addition to taking on more events this year, the Tonkabots launched a booster club - a small group of parents and mentors who are dedicated to keeping the entirely self-funded team going strong into their next season. The team is currently seeking booster club members and sponsors for the 2025–26 season. To support the Tonkabots or become a sponsor, visit www.tonkabots.com/sponsor.
