We went to FTC Benelux Qualifying Tournament 2 in The Hague, not as competitors but as spectators, ready to soak in the excitement of one of the FIRST® Tech Challenge's flagship qualifying events. FTC Benelux brings together teams from across the Netherlands and beyond to inspire young robotics enthusiasts and give them the chance to compete, innovate, and build real engineering skills. Qualifying Tournaments like this are a key stepping stone to the Benelux Championship and beyond, combining qualification matches, judged awards, pit visits, elimination rounds, and so much teamwork and learning on and off the field.

But late Friday night at 10 PM, everything changed.

Due to a team dropping out, we were unexpectedly invited to compete the very next day at 11 AM, with a starter robot! What began as a weekend trip to watch robots in action suddenly turned into an adrenaline-filled competition journey 💥.

At 9 AM on Saturday, we were handed the starter bot. We had two hours to:

  • Diagnose and fix hardware quirks (like the ball shooter that refused to fire at first),
  • Program the robot from scratch,
  • Prepare for inspection and presentation,
  • And get ready to compete on the FTC field.

Thanks to incredible support from our coaches at GreenBlitz (Raz, Itay, and Eli), we achieved all of it. They flew to The Hague, coached us through every challenge, and then flew back with us to Lisbon, where we continued robot building… and enjoyed some well-earned Pasteis de Belém! 🍮

Their expertise, encouragement, and calm under pressure turned a wild last-minute invitation into real competition time: under 2 hours on the clock! 🚀

Here's that story on video: watch it on Google Drive.

We also want to send a huge thank you to all the FTC Benelux volunteers and SteamUP for hosting such an energizing event. The enthusiasm, the collaboration between teams, and the celebration of engineering spirit were nothing short of inspiring. Whether we came as spectators or ended up competing, this event reminded us why FTC is "the hardest fun you'll ever have."

To everyone who cheered us on, offered help in the pits, and shared tips and encouragement: we wouldn't have made it without you. Here's to more robot challenges, learning moments, and unexpected victories ahead! 🤖💪

Want to be part of the next one? Students aged 14 to 17 who have already built something real: join Team Thunderstrike.