Team Arcturus Represents Georgia at the FIRST U.S. Governor’s Cup

“Blueprints for the Future, Inspired by Our Past”

The inaugural FIRST U.S. Governor’s Cup brought together some of the most talented young robotics teams from across the 50 United States for a celebration of innovation, engineering, and teamwork. Among these outstanding competitors was Team Arcturus Apollo from STREM HQ Tech Academy, proudly representing the state of Georgia.

Organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), the Governor’s Cup is designed to highlight the creativity and technical excellence of students involved in robotics programs nationwide. The competition challenges teams to design, build, and program robots capable of performing complex tasks while demonstrating strategic thinking and collaboration. Team Arcturus Apollo was chosen as the only team sent by the state of Georgia to this event.

national stage.

This year’s theme, “Blueprints for the Future, Inspired by Our Past,”

 challenged teams to design and program robots capable of solving

complex tasks while demonstrating creativity and technical excellence.

More than just a competition, the Governor’s Cup encourages students to

grow through teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. Experiences like

this inspire the next generation of engineers, programmers, and innovators.

The event brought together talented robotics teams from across the United States. Students demonstrated their engineering, coding, and problem-solving skills while competing in challenging matches.

Team Arcturus worked together with determination, strategy, and creativity throughout the competition.

Over the course of two exciting days of competition, teams faced a series of elimination and advancement rounds that tested both their engineering skills and teamwork. Team Arcturus Apollo rose to the challenge, each team participated in 5 rounds with approx 70 rounds with determination, focus, and resilience and made it to playoffs where they were alliance captain for Alliance #6 and strategically choose North Carolina to be their partner alliance.

Through careful strategy, strong communication, and innovative design, the team delivered an impressive performance and ultimately achieved 4th place overall in the competition. Their achievement reflects not only their technical abilities but also the dedication and countless hours of preparation invested by the students and their mentors.

Beyond the rankings, the Governor’s Cup provided a meaningful experience for all participants. Team members flaunted Georgia flags as capes and became GA superheroes! This exciting culmination of robotics teams nationwide was a one of a kind event where teams worked with others in a friendly competition all the while learning from each other and forming lasting friendships with other states. The event served as a platform for young innovators to connect, learn from one another, and gain hands-on experience in real-world engineering and problem-solving.

For the students of STREM HQ Tech Academy, competing at the Governor’s Cup was both an honor and an inspiration. Their success demonstrates the power of STEM education in preparing the next generation of engineers, programmers, and technology leaders.

As robotics programs continue to grow across the country, teams like Arcturus Apollo are helping shape the future of innovation—one robot, one challenge, and one competition at a time. Arcturus Apollo was proud to be Team Georgia! And look forward to representing our state and our country in the future!