The inaugural FIRST Robotics Competition Half Moon Bay District Event, held March 6–8 at the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside, brought the excitement of world-class robotics competition to Half Moon Bay for the very first time. Twenty-eight high school teams and 900+ students plus hundreds of mentors, volunteers and cheering spectators, filled the arena for a landmark weekend of innovation, collaboration, and FIRST® AGE™ REBUILT™ competition.
It was a debut weekend to remember and the robots did not disappoint. Teams set a record high score of 720 points over the course of the event, raising the bar for the entire California district season.
The weekend was made even more meaningful by the incredible community support and distinguished guests who joined us to celebrate this milestone event:
- Opening Ceremony Speakers:
- Dr. Ramon Miramontes, Superintendent, Cabrillo Unified School District
- Supervisor Ray Mueller, Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County
- Mark Newton, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Half Moon Bay
- Special Recognition: Supervisor Ray Mueller presented FIRST California with an Official Commendation from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, honoring our organization’s commitment to advancing STEM education in the region. It was a proud moment for our entire community!
The Half Moon Bay event is a shining example of what happens when schools, local leaders, youth-serving organizations, and the FIRST community come together around a shared vision — inspiring the next generation of innovators right in their own backyard.
A heartfelt thank you to all the teams, mentors, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners who helped make this first-ever event such a spectacular success. We can’t wait to come back!
- Impact Award Winner: Team 1678 – Citrus Circuits
- Winning Alliance: Team 1678 – Citrus Circuits, Team 9470 – Control-Alt-Defeat, Team 7607 – The Blackbirds
- Leadership Award Semi-Finalists: Keira L from Spartan Robotics and Natalie W from Golden Gate Robotics
- Engineering Inspiration: Team 604 – Quixilver
- Awards: See all awards here
The Half Moon Bay District Event is a shining example of what happens when schools, local leaders, youth-serving organizations and the FIRST community come together around a shared vision of inspiring the next generation of innovators right in their own backyard.
A heartfelt thank you to all the teams, mentors, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners who helped make this first-ever event such a spectacular success. We can’t wait to come back!
Feel free to download and share any of these photos. You can tag FIRST California at @firstroboticscalifornia on Instagram and use hashtags #FIRSTinCA, #morethanrobots, #omgrobots, #REBUILT and #FIRSTAGE.