Winnovation FRC Team 1625

05/14/2026

Thanks to Winnovation for stopping at the middle school today. Our 8th graders got to learn more about Winnovation and Robotics during their science class.

05/12/2026

2026 Fun-O-Vation Camp Registration is Open!

Join Winnovation for a week of hands-on STEAM activities, creativity, engineering, and fun for students who've just finished any grade K–6th.

Check out more here, including camp details and registration information: https://www.team1625.com/blog/2026-fun-o-vation-camp-registration-is-open

05/07/2026

Dottie's legacy lives on in the countless students she encouraged, supported, and believed in. We are incredibly grateful to have had her in our lives and she will be deeply missed. ❤️

It is with immense sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dottie Skierkiewicz, a 30+ year veteran of FIRST and WildStang Robotics.

Named the 2023 Illinois Volunteer of the Year for her endless compassion, dedication, and service to FIRST, Dottie represents the very best of this community.

An icon and a staple of the entire Midwestern FIRST world - especially the Midwest Regional - Dottie’s enthusiasm, smile, not-so-secret stash of candy, and warmth will be sincerely missed by all those who have had the true joy of her presence.

Dottie and her husband Al have volunteered at countless events around the globe, showcasing their special and enduring bond built around love for family, philanthropy, and a shared boundless curiosity. Few people have given their time and talents more freely than Dottie and Al.

The Skierkiewicz Family WildStang Scholarship has meaningfully kickstarted the educational futures of the very same students they’ve mentored and led. Their generosity extends far beyond measure and Dottie’s considerable legacy will surely include changing the trajectory of thousands of student lives through her lifelong dedication to others.

It is hard to overstate how much Dottie meant to our Program nor overstate her love of FIRST and getting to share so many wonderful moments with all of you.

We’d please ask at this time you respect the privacy of the entire Skierkiewicz family as they navigate this tremendous loss, but do know that your love and support is deeply appreciated.

For those local to Illinois, visitation will be tomorrow, May 8th, from 4-8 pm at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, 60004.

In lieu of flowers, the Skierkiewicz family would love for you to consider making a donation to your local FIRST team in Dottie’s memory.

05/04/2026

That's a wrap on and our official 2026 season!

We had an incredible experience both on and off the field at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, TX.

There was some TOUGH competition in our division and unfortunately, we were not selected to support an alliance through division eliminations on Saturday.
..but what?! Just because you don't get picked doesn't mean you can't have any fun!! Both division finals and Einstein were ELECTRIC! It is so inspiring to see the top teams do their thing -- especially all of our friends.

Outside of competition, we enjoyed our time together as a team on all sorts of adventures. From movies on the bus (School of Rock is peak) to Texas BBQ, and from a pool party at a remote mentor’s house to shirt trade chaos, it is a reminder that this is about so much more than robots.

Now... we've got some tools to put away, some yellow dust to sweep up, and a summer of improvements to plan. Keep an eye out for whatever we get up to next and as always, thanks for being our biggest fan 😁

05/01/2026

We know we've been a bit quiet this week, but that's only because it has been wall to wall robots! Now that we have a second to *catch* our breath, we want to *catch* you up on all the excitement.

Both us and Launchpad McQuack survived the 20 hour road trip and arrived in Houston just after noon on Wednesday. We went right to work getting ready for the days to come 💪🤓

We are fighting hard through qualification matches against some tough competition, and while our win/loss record may not indicate it, we are really excited about our machine and it's performance so far!

Our strategy coming into Championships was to field Launchpad in a new role and show teams what we can bring to an alliance in eliminations.

We will be playing matches all day today and then anxiously awaiting alliance selections first thing tomorrow morning. Watch us represent our schools, community, friends, and fans on Hopper Division here: https://www.youtube.com/live/p7gihZzlGIw?si=K6ZsYoYHS9HuiTI_

Lastly, we'd like to THANK OUR SPONSORS for helping us make this trip a reality! This could not be made possible without their investment in us and our future. We are beyond grateful 😁😁😁 THANK YOU!

04/30/2026

Catch us on Hopper Division! https://frc-events.firstinspires.org/2026/HOPPER/watch

04/28/2026

Safe travels to all the teams heading to Champs!!

Two area robotics teams are headed to Houston for a four-day championship event that brings together the best competition from around the world.
📰: Full story linked in the comments below

04/14/2026

WINNOVATION is GOING to WORLD'S in Houston! Can you help us get there? Your support is GREATLY appreciated😁

04/06/2026

UNREAL. The City of Fountains Regional did NOT disappoint!

This past weekend was jam packed with ups and downs and our robot, Launchpad McQuack, really brought the heat 🔥

After a rocky practice day pushing the limits of our machine, we held strong through qualification matches, ending with a record of 7-3-0. We ranked 7th and after some inter-picking we captained alliance 5 through to the lower bracket finals where we took our second 3rd place finish of the season. Much thanks to Eagan High School First Robotics Team 2220 and Owatonna Robotics 4624 for being incredible alliance partners through it all!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! We are bringing back some shiny new hardware for the shelf.... 🏆🏆 The judges were impressed by our creativity and intentional design and honored us with the Creativity Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation, Inc.

‼️NOW FOR THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT‼️

Winnovation is headed back to Houston for the World Championship Event!!

Yup! These🦆lucky ducks🦆qualified as the 3rd highest regional point earner at the City of Fountains event and punched our ticket to champs. See more details (Merit-Based - Regional Model) on how this works here: https://www.firstinspires.org/resources/library/frc/championship-eligibility

None of this happens without the people behind us. We are beyond grateful for YOU; 🫵our community, sponsors, parents, mentors, and everyone else who cheers us on. We can't wait to make you proud and show the world what 1625 is all about down in Houston this year.... but until then, we are charging our batteries, upgrading our mechanisms, and checking our couch cushions for travel money 😂😅 THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!