As I look back on the robotics competitions I have participated in over the years, I remember the excitement of waiting for a new game to be announced, the long hours spent designing and building our robot, the countless practice sessions, the pressure of competition day, and the friendships we made along the way. At the time, these were simply the experiences of being part of a robotics team. But after asking the question, Can a robotics competition be considered a sport?, I found myself looking at those same experiences through a different lens. Instead of seeing them simply as STEM competitions, I began to examine them from a new perspective, as if I were observing them for the first time. This chapter is my attempt to revisit the world of robotics competitions from that new perspective. Rather than trying to prove or disprove that robotics competitions are sports, I simply want to understand them better. For this discussion, I will use the FIRST ® Global Challenge(FGC® ) as an example. Although every robotics competition has its own format and rules, many of the experiences described here are common across the various robotics competitions around the world. 3.1 What Happens at a Robotics Competition? When most people hear the words robotics competition, they imagine students building a robot, bringing it to a venue, and seeing whose robot performs the best. That is only a small part of the story. Behind every robot is a team of students who spend weeks or even months preparing. By the time the competition begins, the robot is only one part of a much larger journey. Success depends not only on the robot’s performance, but also on the teamwork, preparation, communication, strategy, and decisions made by the students behind it. To understand this journey, let us follow what happens in a typical robotics competition, using the 2025 FGC® as an example. 3.2 The Game Is Announced Every year, FIRST ® Global announces a completely new challenge. Until that moment, no team knows what the game will be. Students from every participating country receive the same rules at the same time, ensuring that everyone starts on equal footing. The 2025 FGC® , challenge based on the theme Eco Equilibrium, required teams to restore and protect ecosystems by using robots to remove barriers and manage biodiversity units within a limited match time. The playing field represented three ecosystems, and the robots had to work with two different types of game pieces. Large grey inflatable balls represented Barriers that blocked the healthy functioning of the ecosystems, while smaller coloured balls represented Biodiversity Units. The objective was to remove the barriers, transport the biodiversity units, and score them in designated locations according to the game rules. 3.3 From Rules to Robot Once the game manual is released, every team begins analysing it carefully. Although all teams receive the same challenge, no two teams arrive at exactly the same solution. Some teams immediately focus on scoring the maximum number of points, while others look for the simplest and most reliable way to complete the most important tasks. Very quickly, every team realises that there is no single “correct” robot. The first few days are usually filled with discussions rather than construction. Team members gather around a whiteboard or a computer, sketching ideas, debating different approaches, and imagining how their robot should move around the field. Every idea is considered because even a simple suggestion can lead to an innovative solution. Sometimes the most unexpected idea turns out to be the best one. As the discussions continue, one important question keeps returning: What kind of robot gives us the best chance of succeeding in this game? Answering that question is not easy. In the 2025 game, teams had to decide whether to design a robot that specialised in quickly removing barriers, one that efficiently handled biodiversity units, or one that attempted to perform multiple tasks. Every additional capability made the robot more complicated, heavier, and more difficult to build, program, and maintain. On the other hand, a simpler robot might perform fewer tasks but do them faster and more reliably. Every design decision therefore involved balancing capability, reliability, weight, available time, and the team’s technical expertise. The same kind of strategic thinking exists in sports. A football team may choose an attacking style of play, while another may build its strategy around strong defence and quick counterattacks. Similarly, one cricket team may rely on aggressive batting, while another focuses on disciplined bowling and fielding. Neither approach is universally better. Success depends on understanding the game, recognising the team’s strengths, and developing a strategy before the competition begins. Robotics teams face exactly the same kind of strategic decisions. Before building the robot, they must first decide how they want to play the game. Once that strategy is chosen, every subsequent decision, from the robot’s mechanical design and electronics to its programming and driver practice is guided by that plan. 3.4 Building the Robot Once the overall strategy has been decided, the real work begins. This is the stage that most people associate with robotics competi15 tions, but in reality it is only one part of a much larger process. The robot rarely appears exactly as it was first imagined. Initial sketches are transformed into detailed designs, often using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Individual mechanisms are discussed, modified, and sometimes discarded before they are ever built. Throughout this process, teams constantly ask themselves a simple question: Will this design help us achieve our strategy? Building a competition robot reminded me of how a Formula One team prepares for a race. Months before the first Grand Prix, engineers design, manufacture, and assemble hundreds of components. Yet the car that appears on the starting grid is rarely identical to the one first conceived. Every round of testing reveals opportunities for improvement. Components are redesigned, settings are adjusted, and new ideas are incorporated. The car gradually evolves until it is ready for competition. The same philosophy applies in robotics competitions. The mechanical team fabricates the chassis and mechanisms that allow the robot to move around the field and interact with the game pieces. At the same time, the electronics team installs motors, controllers, sensors, batteries, and wiring, while programmers develop the software that controls every movement of the robot. Although these activities appear separate, they are closely connected. A small change in the mechanical design may require the electronics to be rearranged or the software to be rewritten. Likewise, a programming limitation may force the team to redesign a mechanism. Building a competition robot is therefore an iterative process in which every part of the team depends on the others. Very few things work perfectly the first time. A mechanism that performs well on paper may fail during testing. A sensor may not provide reliable readings. A software update may introduce unexpected problems. Rather than becoming discouraged, teams treat these setbacks as opportunities to learn. Every problem solved improves not only the robot but also the team’s understanding of engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving. As the weeks pass, the robot gradually evolves. It becomes stronger, more reliable, and better suited to the team’s strategy. By the time the robot is mechanically complete, however, another equally important phase begins. A well-built robot alone cannot win matches. The students must now learn to operate it effectively under the pressure of competition. 3.5 Practice and Performance By the time the robot is assembled and functioning reliably, many people assume that the difficult part is over. In reality, another equally important phase is just beginning i.e., practice. In many competitions especially, FIRST ® , robots do not perform entirely on their own. At times, they are controlled by student drivers, who must learn to operate them with speed, accuracy, and confidence. Building a capable robot is only half the challenge; learning to use it effectively is equally important. The driver’s practise reminded me of a tennis player preparing for a tournament. During practice, a player may hit hundreds of forehands, backhands, and serves, not because they do not know how to play, but because they want every movement to become automatic. When the pressure of a match arrives, there is no time to think about technique. Every action must happen instinctively. Driving a competition robot is remarkably similar. During a match, drivers cannot pause to think about which joystick to move or which button to press. They must react instantly to changing situations while keeping their attention on the game. Hours of practice transform those individual movements into instinctive actions. During the first few practice sessions, even simple tasks can be surprisingly difficult. Picking up a game piece, aligning the robot with a scoring area, or navigating around obstacles often takes much longer than expected. Small mistakes that seem insignificant during practice can make the difference between winning and losing a match. As practice continues, the drivers gradually become more familiar with the robot’s behaviour. They learn how quickly it accelerates, how sharply it turns, how closely they can approach field elements, and how to recover from unexpected situations. At the same time, programmers fine-tune the software, mechanical team members make small improvements, and the entire team continues to optimise the robot’s performance. Practice therefore becomes a continuous cycle of driving, observing, improving, and trying again. Many experienced robotics teams know an important truth: a well-practised drive team operating a simple, reliable robot can often outperform a technically superior robot that has received little practice. Driver skill, communication, quick decision-making, and teamwork become just as important as engineering. By the time the competition begins, the students know their robot almost instinctively. They no longer think about every button they press or every movement they make. Instead, they focus on the game itself, reacting to changing situations and working together to achieve the best possible result. Months of preparation have transformed both the robot and the team into a single, coordinated unit. 3.6 Competition Day The competition day finally arrives. The excitement that every team has been waiting for is now mixed with nervousness. The robot that was carefully designed, built, programmed, and practised with must now prove itself on the competition field. Walking into the competition venue reminded me of watching the opening ceremony of a major sporting event. Teams from around the world arrive wearing their national colours, proudly carrying their country’s flag. There is excitement, anticipation, and a shared belief that months of hard work are finally about to be tested. Although the competition is about robots, it is the students who experience the emotions; the excitement, the pressure, the hope, and the responsibility of representing their nation. The atmosphere inside the venue is unlike anything experienced during practice. Robots are carefully unpacked, batteries are charged, tools are laid out, and teams make last-minute repairs and adjustments. Some students quietly review their match strategy, while others gather around the robot for one final discussion. Every team hopes that the countless hours spent preparing will now pay off. Before the competition begins, every robot must pass a technical inspection. Inspectors carefully check that the robot complies with the competition rules, including its dimensions, weight, electrical systems, and safety requirements. A robot that fails inspection cannot compete until the problems are corrected. For many teams, this is the first major test of the competition, and even a small oversight can lead to an anxious wait while repairs are made. Watching this process always reminds me of athletes going through different checks before a competition. Depending on the sport, athletes may have their weight or equipment checked, or may be selected for doping tests to ensure that competition rules are followed. Once inspection is complete, attention shifts to the qualification matches. Teams study the match schedule to learn who their alliance partners and opponents will be. In competitions such as the FGC® , alliances change from one match to the next, meaning that students often have little time to introduce themselves, discuss strat20 egy, divide responsibilities, and build trust with teammates they have never met before. Despite coming from different countries, speaking different languages, and bringing different robots, they must quickly learn to work together towards a common objective. What makes this system particularly interesting is that these alliances are temporary. A team that works alongside you in one match may become your opponent in the very next. Throughout the competition, students repeatedly find themselves cooperating with different teams while also competing against many of those same teams in later matches. Success therefore depends not only on the capability of an individual robot but also on how quickly alliance partners can communicate, coordinate their strategies, and trust one another. This experience reminded me of Robert Simon’s idea that sport is a mutual quest for excellence (Simon, 2014). According to Simon, meaningful competition is not simply about defeating an opponent. Instead, competitors challenge one another to achieve higher levels of performance through fair and demanding competition. The alliance system in the FGC® reflects this idea remarkably well. Students compete intensely, yet they also cooperate with many of the same teams throughout the competition, helping to create the best possible competition for everyone involved. The atmosphere is similar to multi-sport events such as the Olympic Games, where athletes from different nations come together, united by a common passion for competition while proudly representing their own countries. In robotics competitions, the robot may be the machine on the field, but it is the students who experience the same emotions of anticipation, teamwork, pressure, and national pride. Finally, the announcement is made for the first qualification match. The drive team picks up the robot, walks towards the arena, and takes its position beside the playing field. The countdown begins. Months of preparation have led to this moment, and in the next few minutes every design decision, every practice session, and every strategic discussion will be put to the test. 3.7 Inside a Match When the countdown reaches zero, everything changes. The practice sessions are over, the strategy discussions have ended, and there is no longer time to redesign the robot or rewrite the software. Everything now depends on how well the team performs under pressure. This reminded me of athletes waiting for the referee’s whistle at the start of a match. No matter how much they have trained, there comes a moment when preparation ends and performance begins. The same feeling exists in a robotics competition. The students know that they have done everything they could before arriving at the arena. Now, they must trust both their robot and each other. As the match begins, every member of the drive team has a specific responsibility. The drivers control the robot, the coach watches the overall flow of the game and communicates strategy, while other team members closely observe the action and prepare to analyse the robot’s performance after the match. Every decision must be made within seconds. The competition field is a dynamic environment. Robots move simultaneously, alliance partners work together to complete shared objectives, and unexpected situations arise constantly. A robot may be blocked by another robot, a game piece may not be where it was expected, or a mechanism may fail to work as planned. Teams must adapt immediately . Often, the strategy decided before the match has to be modified while the match is still in progress. Communication becomes just as important as technical ability. Drivers and coaches exchange short, precise instructions while keeping their attention focused on the field. There is no time for long discussions. Every second matters. One of the most impressive aspects of competitions such as FGC® is the ability of students from different countries to work together almost instantly. Alliance partners may have met only sometime before the match, yet they quickly agree on who will perform which tasks and how they will support one another. Success depends not only on the capability of an individual robot but also on how effectively the alliance works together. When the final buzzer sounds, every team immediately begins reflecting on its performance. Sometimes the strategy worked exactly as planned. Sometimes a small mistake changed the outcome of the match. Occasionally, an unexpected technical problem forced the team to improvise. Regardless of the result, every match provides valuable lessons that help the team improve before the next one. This continuous cycle of planning, performing, analysing, and improving is what makes robotics competitions so engaging. Every match becomes another opportunity to learn, adapt, and grow. When the final match is over, the competition comes to an end. Teams celebrate their successes, learn from their setbacks, and begin looking ahead to the next challenge. For many participants, however, the memories that remain are not just of the robot they Scorecard showing the results of a qualifibuilt, but of the entire journey; cation match. Team India, part of the Blue Alliance, wins with 93 points. understanding a new game, developing a strategy, solving engineering problems, practising for countless hours, working as a team, and performing under pressure.