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See all our team members and get some quick bits of information about each of them and what they do on 6709 S.P.U.D. Inc's team. MEET THE TEAM Students Our team prides ourselves on being a student driven, mentor supported team. We enjoy being able to choose what direction our team goes using mentors to assist us in making sure the choices we make are the right ones, or if not, helping us learn from our mistakes. Jude Slack Role: Build member Grade: 12 Years in FIRST: 6 Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------" Theo Johnson Role: Build Lead Grade: 11 Years in FIRST: 4 Favorite memory: "Hanging out at the pool in Lacrosse during a competition." Reason you joined: "I had Mrs. Forgey as a teacher and she was the captain of the team at the time." AnnaGrace Berger Role: Co Business Lead Grade: 10 Years in FIRST: 3 Favorite memory: "Bringing in baked goods to share with the team" Reason you joined: "My brother was in it" Elyas Anderson Role: -- Grade: 9 Years in FIRST: 2 Favorite memory: "Taking apart a robot." Reason you joined: "I like robots." Paxton Fluegel Role: Driver Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 2 Favorite memory: "My first time driving the robot was my favorite part." Reason you joined: "Robot cool" Cooper Koesel Role: Build Member Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 2 Favorite memory: "Duluth comp" Reason you joined: "STEM Night" Caiden Nelson Role: Programmer Grade: 12 Years in FIRST: ------ Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------" Jacob Stegora Role: Programmer Grade: 10 Years in FIRST: 4 Favorite memory: "Probably walking into the competition stadium for the first time." Reason you joined: "The reason I joined is because I just enjoy working on things that I want to work on." Soren Schabilion Role: Co Business Lead Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 2 Favorite memory: "When we each donated 5 bucks at 1 in the morning to buy a cardboard cutout of the Becker robotics coach." Reason you joined: "My friends were doing it and so was my brother" Chris Carter Role: Build Member Grade: 9 Years in FIRST: 3 Favorite memory: "Recording programmers fixing autos and the bot going full speed into the wall" Reason you joined: "My mom told me to :)" Louis Haley Role: Programmer Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 1 Favorite memory: "When the bit of shrapnel flew across the room. :)" Reason you joined: "Everyone told me to." Annika Vagle Role: Build Member Grade: 7 Years in FIRST: 1 Favorite memory: "Robotnado tragedy of 2026" Reason you joined: "I like ✨power tools✨" Daniel Schabilion Role: Build lead Grade: 12 Years in FIRST: 4 Favorite memory: "First time Autos worked on Tater Swift" Reason you joined: "Meet cool people and build cool robots!" Claire Crum Role: Safety Captain Grade: 10 Years in FIRST: 4 Favorite memory: "Robotnado tragedy of 2026" Reason you joined: "Jacob signed up for this and I thought why not, now I'm here." Tom Larson Role: Build Member Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 1 Favorite memory: "When Logan dropped the doohickey" Reason you joined: "Logan bugging me" Logan Lundt Role: Build Member Grade: 8 Years in FIRST: 2 Favorite memory: "staying up late to work on the bot" Reason you joined: "I like nerd stuff" Wes Johnson Role: Programmer Grade: 7 Years in FIRST: 1 Favorite memory: "Robotnado tragedy of 2026" Reason you joined: "Because Theo told me to" Julian Wiggins Role: Build Member Grade: 7 Years in FIRST: 1 Favorite memory: "Using the table saw" Reason you joined: "because I want to learn how to build a robot" Mentors + Coaches Our mentors help to oversee the team to make sure that our team is always going in the right direction. They also help guide our students by helping them find their full potential. Ben Lauderbaugh Role: Coach Years in FIRST: Favorite memory: "" Reason you joined: "" Cayla Lauderbaugh Role: Coach Years in FIRST: 4 Favorite memory: "Watching the students learn and grow...and the late night robotics laughter and shenanigans because we are all tired but have a deadline to meet." Reason you joined: "To help my husband coach because nobody else wanted the job and I was already doing everything he couldn't at home to help out anyway." Craig Starr Role: Fabrication Mentor Years in FIRST: Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------" Scott Role: Fabrication mentor Years in FIRST: ------ Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------" Bret Lauderbaugh Role: Fabrication Mentor Years in FIRST: Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------" Ian Anderson Role: Alumini Programing Mentor Years in FIRST: 5 Favorite memory: " " Reason you joined: "" Bob Role: ------ Years in FIRST: ------ Favorite memory: "------" Reason you joined: "------"

Our sponsors are the engine of our team, without funds we couldn't do anything. Our Sponsors Our sponsors are the backbone to our team. Without the funding they provide 6709 S.P.U.D. INC, we would not be where we are now. We are grateful for our gracious sponsors.

See whats going on for fundraisers and outreaches here from 6709 S.P.U.D. Inc Robotics. Events Below you can see all of our Fundraisers and Community events. Come see us and ask questions about our team. We appreciate everyone that has helped support us by visiting us at these events. Conference Championship Our team will be hosting the annual Conference Championship Date: October 12 Location: Big Lake High School

TaterTanker is our 2026 Rebuilt Robot. Built with MK4i Swerve. Shooter powered by 2 Kraken X60's. An extendable hopper. and a 20" swing down intake. TATER TANKER REBUILT ROBOT Information Dimensions: 26"x26"x22". Drive Train: MK4i with L3+ gear ratio running on Kraken X60's. Statbotics info Robot Upgrades Manipulators Hood Shooter - Turret Shooter: 2 x Kraken X60's, 4" diameter fly wheel, gears on each end for additional weight, hooded Turret: 1 x Falcon 500, 180°, cable chain Flip Down Intake Kraken 500, three bar, 2 inch diameter compliance wheels, 20" width. flip down, Spindexer 1 x Falcon500 mounted in the PLA cone, Five slots, fixed broom brushes Extended Hopper Extends the 11", and retracts via bungees from intake Tater Tanker Upgrades TaterTanker Upgrades Our team did a SWOT analysis on TaterTanker and has begun making various upgrades to various manipulators. Our overall objective is to improve our Intake>Hopper>Spindexer>Shooter throughput. Intake (finished) - Removed the top roller bar allowing for space in hopper and less motor stalls We'll be doing more work on our hopper, spindexer, and shooter designs in the next week. Programming Our team programs with Java. We also use PathPlanner, MotionMajic and some other programming assistants. Autos Left & Right autos: Shoot the 8 balls, go out to the center and grab more, go back and score. (All under the trench) Middle auto: Score the 8 balls Upgrades before Granite City Regional (April 8th) Our team is working on a couple different things to upgrade ourselves before Granite City. Shuttle balls from the center, maybe as well the opposing alliances side. Drive and shoot, our goal is to not only shuttle balls while driving, but to also drive and score fuel.

FIRST Robotics is the organization that our team is a part of and runs and operates all the competitions. What is First? Mission Statement The mission of FIRST® is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership What is FRC We call FIRST Robotics Competition the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.” Under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Each season ends with an exciting FIRST Championship . Vision "To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders." Dean Kamen, Founder Who Created FIRST? Dean Kamen is an inventor, an entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for science and technology. His roles as inventor and advocate are intertwined—his own passion for technology and its practical uses has driven his personal determination to spread the word about technology's virtues and by so doing to change the culture of the United States. Core Values Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas. Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems. Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world. Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences. Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together. Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do! Some Numbers 81% of FIRST alumni declare a STEM major by their fourth year in college (compared to 68% of peers in FIRST Longitudinal Study ) 2.5 million+ student participants impacted in 100+ countries since 1989 50% of female FIRST alumni declare a major in engineering or computer science by their fourth year of college (compared to 14% of peers in FIRST Longitudinal Study) FIRST programs reached 534,000+ students globally during the 2021-2022 season.

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What is Competition Our team commonly attends two competitions each year. Competition is the end goal in robotics, and it's what the students look forward to the most. The main events of competitions are usually on the weekends. Below are our two competitions this year. Lake Superior Regional We were excited to compete at the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth, MN at the end of February-early March! During competition, we ranked 23rd and were chosen as part of an alliance with team 2143(Team Tobor) and 5653(Iron Mosquitos). Even though we didn't win, it was a valuable learning experience and we enjoyed our time there. Granite City Regional We will participate in the Granite City Regional in St. Cloud, MN in early April.

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Divisions This is your Services Page. It's a great opportunity to provide information about the services you provide. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want to share with site visitors. Fabrication Build The Build subdivision is responsible for building the robot, field pieces, and other equipment that is necessary to be ready for competition. Programming Programming subdivision programs the robot to complete the functions it needs to complete. Programming team uses the Java programming Language. They also use visions systems to assist the drive team. Electrical The Electrical subdivision works side by side with the team to wire up the robot. Our team strives to use the most updated technology. Safety Our team takes Safety seriously. Not just physically either, we make sure students are doing mentally. Our has individual safety glasses to ensure cleanliness. Business Marketing The Marketing subdivision creates the advertising materials. Marketing runs the social media accounts as well. Impact The Impact subdivision oversees the teams outreach events, team impact on the community, as well as communication with the community. Logistics Logistics maintains the organization of the team. They oversee team project management, making sure all our ducks are in a row. Scouting Scouting watches other teams and records details about their robot and team so that we can make an educated choice if we become part of an alliance and can choose another team to join us. Many Subdivisions, One Team Though our team works on separate subdivisions, we still work towards the same goal.

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See team 6709 S.P.U.D. Inc's sponsors here. We appreciate our sponsors strongly and are always willing to do whatever they ask of us! Why sponsor? Our team goes through roughly $15,000 a year. But you may be asking yourself, 'how do they spend that much each year?' Below you can see the set costs of recurring things our team has to pay for, recent purchases, and some products we are looking into purchasing. Recurring prices Competition fee: $6,000 In order to go to a competition a team must pay the fee. A second competition costs a team $3,000 Robot price: $3,000 This is the average price of the robot for each year. Price does vary depending on the complexity of the robot Recently paid items Swerve Drive: $2,920 Swerve drive is a drive train that allows the robot to go multiple directions Many higher ranked teams have invested in swerve drive knowing its fabulous potential White board kit: $20 Our team uses whiteboards often to design and plan for new projects and robots Our old markers are beginning to show their age so we decided to buy new ones Husky 72" tool chest: $1,398 Our team has decided that our pit has some flaws and are beginning to invest in a pit that can fit the team better for its needs Hydraulic robot cart: $770 This new cart can let the team reach any part of the robot without having to lean over This cart is also better equipped to handle different designs of robots Team Banner This banner helps as an advertiser to the team as well as a great team picture to put on social media What We do for our Sponsors? We appreciate our sponsors as they are the backbone of all of our success, without them we would not be doing what we do. Facility Tours Our team members enjoy touring our sponsors facilities and looking to see what they do. This amazing opportunity gives our team members a chance to see if this is something they would want to get into. Branding Display Depending on the donation amount that our sponsors graciously give to us, sponsors get various logos displayed on banners, the website, or even the robot. want to sponsor us? Click the button below. Mail Our team members tour our sponsor, UMC's facilities We display our sponsors on our 2022 robot Our team attends SpudFest's parade annually Wish List: Motors - $2,000 Recently there were brand new motors that got released. Our team is planning on purchasing these new motors as they are a lot faster and better than our teams current motors. Team Trailer - $6,000 Our team is shopping for a team trailer. We have noticed an increase in outreach events our team is attending, and decided that this would be in the team's best interests to get one. 3D Printer - $1,000 - $300 Our team has done research and realized that if we decided to make parts in house, it would be cheaper and we would get the parts faster. There is a lot of things to consider when buying a 3D printer. You have to choose what materials to print from, the quality of the machine, and many other things that make this a big decision. Media Equipment Upgrades - $1,000 Our team wants to upgrade its filming equipment as we step forward in our team's social media activities. CutterPillar Crop - $100 Our Business team has been cutting a lot of different kinds of paper, and our current methods have room to improve. This is a very reliable cutter. Printer - $200 High quality printer that is capable of printing flyers, brochures, business cards and other high detailed things that our current printer just can't handle. Laminator - $60 Laminates pieces of paper to make them last longer. Wish List

6709 S.P.U.D. INC Robotics, located in Big Lake MN. We are a FIRST Robotics Competition team with a goal of spreading STEM. 6709 S.P.U.D. INC Robotics 6709 S.P.U.D. INC Robotics 6709 S.P.U.D. INC Robotics 6709 S.P.U.D. INC Robotics First REBUILT The new FRC game is First REBILUT check out this new game with the link below. Watch Game ➜ Competition Our competition dates are the Great Northern Regional, March 11th - March 14th and the Granite City regional April 8th - April 11th. Granite City Info ➜ YouTube Our team posts regular videos to YouTube as well as short form videos on Instagram and Facebook. Go to youtube ➜ Learn More about us Want to learn more about 6709 S.P.U.D. INC? Check out our history to see what we've accomplished! Learn more ➜ ABOUT US We are 6709 SPUDinc, a high school robotics team from Big Lake, Minnesota, that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Our team name and robots are inspired by our town’s annual SpudFest, a celebration of potatoes. Our mission is to inspire young students to pursue STEM careers through hands-on learning and mentorship. READ MORE COMPETITIONS Great Northern Regional Located in Grand Forks, ND in the Alerus Center March 11 - March 14 2026 Granite City Regional Located in St. Cloud Mn, in the Rivers Edge Convention Center April 8 - April 11 2026 Our Sponsors: Paul Knier