Where Pigs Fly

4-H Exploding Bacon Robotics Team 1902 is a Central Florida 4-H Club competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition, often called “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.” Students participate in an 8-week build season, where they build a 120-pound robot to play that year’s game. During build season, students and mentors collaborate to strategize, prototype, design, build, wire, and program the robot, then attends regional competitions where their robot competes against dozens of other like-minded teams for both victory and awards.

Our team has been thriving and growing since its inception in 2006. At the first meeting that year there were a total of six kids and three adult mentors for the team. By kickoff, which was only the second meeting, the team had grown to ten kids from four different schools, and roughly six adult mentors. Since then the team has grown and won more than 50 awards. In 2019, we were honored to be selected for the Chairman’s Award (now FIRST Impact Award)  at the World Championship in Houston, Texas, and inducted into the FIRST Hall of Fame.

But, just like FIRST, Exploding Bacon isn’t just about building robots. We build people. Our students learn skills that not only will help them compete, but will prepare them to go out into the world. Students gain both personal and technical skills, and they participate in a wide range of community outreach projects from educational robotic demonstration events to helping those in need. Please check out our full history of our community impact.

 

 

Age Level: High School students

Link to FIRST: http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc

Season: Year-Round
New Season Registration opens August
Registration and Student Info

Our FIRST Robotics Competition Lead:
Carrie Udowychenko, Email

Click here for Current Students and Officers

   

Where we’ve competed:

  • FIRST World Championship: 2006-2010 and 2012-2026
  • Orlando Regional: 2006-2026
  • Tallahassee Regional: 2022-2025
  • Palmetto Regional (South Carolina): 2011, 2019
  • South Florida Regional: 2012-2014, 2018
  • Bayou Regional: 2008, 2017, and 2026
  • ROBOTICON: 2015-2025
  • Inaugural Rocket City Regional (Alabama): 2016
  • Panther Prowl: 2012-2016
  • Inaugural Georgia Southern Classic Regional: 2015
  • Indiana Robotics Invitational: 2007-2013
  • Tempest -N- Tampa: 2007-2009 and 2011
  • North Carolina Regional: 2010
  • Connecticut Regional:  2009
  • Mission Mayhem (Ft. Lauderdale): 2006-2008
  • Las Vegas Regional: 2007
  • Lone Star Regional (Houston): 2006

Where we’re going in 2026: 

Regional #1: Orlando Regional (Week 3)
Regional #2: Rocket City Regional (Week 6)
FIRST World Championship (Houston): April 29th – May 2nd; George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, TX

See our competition results on our awards page!