FIRESTONE ROBOTICS COMPETITION
DAN SPAK MEMORIAL QUALIFIER 11-11-2023
***We will leave the high school this Saturday at 5:30am. Please have your student at the school at 5:15am.***
Address
Firestone CLC
470 Castle Blvd, Akron, OH 44313
Your GPS may take you to the middle school that is connected to the high school because we share the same address. The middle school parking lot is for bus parking only (circled in yellow in the photo below). This is NOT the entrance to the competition.
Parking & Drop Off
Buses will enter for drop off at the yellow arrows. This bus entrance will be marked by green flags with yellow lettering.
The bus will pull up to the entrance (red arrow) to unload. Buses will proceed to the middle school parking lot for the remainder of the day, then pick you up at the red arrow to load.
All spectators will enter the competition at the red arrow. Public parking is available in the lot circled in orange.
We will have signage indicating the location of parking. There will also be green and gold arrow-shaped signs pointing the way to the school on key intersections.
Arrival & Security
Doors open at 8:00am.
Akron Public Schools policy now requires that all visitors to events go through a metal detector. Please make sure you and your students do not bring in any of the following:
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Knives/weapons of any kind
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Pepper spray/mace
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Illegal substances
Students CANNOT have any medication on them. If you have a student that needs to take medication during the competition, a parent, chaperone, or coach must carry it into the building. This also applies to students who are 18 or older.
Team Registration & Volunteer Registration
After you go through metal detectors, look for these tables. Coaches will pick up wristbands for themselves and lunch tickets for their students.
If you bring any volunteers with you, they will also get a wristband.
Hospitality and Student Lunches
Everyone with a wristband will have access to the Coach & Volunteer Hospitality Room (room 118 – near the cafeteria) where free food and beverages are provided. Individuals must have a wristband to enter.
Student lunches will be served in the cafeteria (where the pit tables are located) around noon. Pizza, pop, chips and water will be provided.
Outside food is permitted.
Please have your students clean up after themselves in the pit areas and elsewhere.
Concessions
There will be a concession stand with a variety of food and beverage options. We accept cash and cards.
Raffle Baskets
We will be selling tickets for a chance to win some fun and amazing items! Tickets are one for $1 or six for $5. We accept cash and cards.
Judge Advisor & Referees
Hunter Spitzer, who has judged at the State and World competitions, will be the judge advisor.
We will have two divisions: Chris Morris and John Queen, both of whom have refereed at States and Worlds, will be the head referees.
Each division will have three fields and our goal is to finish on time!
Livestream
We will have a livestream. We will share the link with you as soon as possible.
Qualifying Awards
The following awards will be state-qualifying:
- Excellence High School
- Excellence Middle School
- Tournament Champions
- Tournament Finalists
- Design
- Skills Champion
We are back from Worlds and we are celebrating a BIG win for Pickerington Central Robotics!
6741A Anarchy, made up of team members Nayan Adhikari, Ezekiel Creeger, Parker Krauss, and Rylee McKinney, made school history by winning the prestigious Design Award—the highest judged honor within their division.
The Vex World Championship features 865 of the best teams (out of 11,400+ teams) from across the globe. Within each division, teams are evaluated through a rigorous judging process that includes interviews, detailed engineering notebooks, and innovative coding and design.
Earning the Design Award places Team 6741A among the *elite* in the world for demonstrating the engineering process, as well as the team’s ability to clearly document and communicate their robot design and game strategy. (For perspective, among judged awards, the Excellence Award and Divisional Design Awards are given to the top 11 teams in the world!)
6741R Redacted also performed impressively, earning a 9th seed in their Divisional Playoffs, placing them among the top 180 teams from around the world in head-to-head competition. This is their second year in a row to make it into the World Divisional Playoffs. Congrats to Owen Goates, Carson Paris, and Weston Kiner for delivering another solid performance and representing Pickerington well.
These achievements mark a significant accomplishment for the Pickerington Central Robotics program and a proud moment for the Pickerington Local School District.
Thank you to each of our students who poured blood, sweat, and tears into their performance and have shown immense dedication all year long.
Thank you also to all the parents, sponsors, and community stakeholders who have supported us so generously along the way – it truly would not have been possible without your contributions.
Now on to next year!!
WE ARE
PICKERINGTON CENTRAL ROBOTICS
Watch an Overview of This Year’s Game
3 Minute Video
6741 ROBOTICS
MERCH STORE
Get your 6741 Robotics Hat here!
6741 on Pits & Parts
SCHEDULE
Upcoming Tournaments:
Links will take you to robotevents.com where you can find location details and general information about the individual event.
The 2025-2026 season is now over. Check back for the upcoming 2026-2027 schedule.
CONTACTS
HIGH SCHOOL
Dona Kiner, Robotics Advisor
donakiner@gmail.com
440-525-3394
Mr. Luke Rininger
luke_rininger@plsd.us
JUNIOR HIGH
Mr. Mike Ouimet
Mike_Ouimet@plsd.us
“Winners do what losers aren’t willing to do.”
- Take actions towards known outcomes
- Deal with the truth
- Set goals and go after them with passion
VEX Via
VEX via allows you to follow the progress and results of VEX Robotics Competition events. Team lists, match schedules, match results, rankings, and skills challenge results are easy to access and can be sorted by event or by team. Results are automatically downloaded as the events unfold, and you can also register to receive instant score alerts for your favorite teams. Instant score alerts use the Push Notification service, allowing you to receive team alerts even when VEX via is not running.
VRC Hub
The VRC Hub app is the ideal competition companion for teams, spectators, and event planners involved in the VEX Robotics Competition!
- Become an expert with a searchable, easy-to-use official game manual
- Ensure you always have the latest rules with in-app alerts
- Keep score at home with an intuitive calculator for the current game
- Use the included timer to run your own practice matches (featuring official sounds!)
2025-26 Season Photos
2024-25 Season Photos
Team R – Wins the Think Award at State Competition
Team A – Wins the Innovate Award at Highland Tournament
2023-24 Season Photos
