DURHAM - Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps and Principal Rebecca Noe wish to congratulate the Oyster River High School's FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team Overdrive #8410 for earning its first-ever Finalist Award during the Governor's Cup competition at Plymouth State University (PSU) on October 4, marking a historic milestone in the team's five-year history.

Competing against teams from across New Hampshire, Team Overdrive was selected for the playoffs as part of the 6th seed alliance alongside team Red Storm #509 and team Lakerbots #8046. The alliance made an impressive run through the double-elimination bracket, opening with an upset victory over the 3rd seed alliance and continuing their momentum all the way to the finals.

"Our students showed remarkable determination and strategic thinking throughout the competition," said Coach Dan Couture. "Watching them problem-solving under pressure and working with their alliance partners was truly inspiring. This Finalist Award was five years in the making and absolutely worth the wait. I could not be prouder of the team.”

In addition to the Finalist Award, all competitors at the Governor's Cup received scholarship opportunities worth up to $5,000 toward tuition and housing at PSU.

"What an incredible way to start the season," said Principal Noe. "This success has energized the entire team, and I can't wait to see how they build on this momentum in upcoming competitions."

Team lead Madeline Courtemanche added: “Our performance this weekend at the Governor's Cup was only possible because of our veterans’ drive and resilience to reflect and overcome technical challenges. More importantly, I saw this same motivation reflected in the rookies. I can't wait for next month when they'll need to bring the same energy to the Battle of the Bay. This is a key handoff between veterans and rookies that will keep Team 8410 reaching new heights season after season.”

Team Overdrive celebrated its historic win at Oyster River High School on Monday evening (Oct. 6), along with friends, family, sponsors, and board members. The celebration highlighted not only the team's technical achievements but also the dedication of the student-run marketing team, who documented the competition journey on the team's Instagram account (orhs_overdrive_8410).

"Beyond technical skills, programs like Team Overdrive teach our students critical life skills like innovation, collaboration, and adaptability," said Superintendent Shaps. "Watching our students work together to overcome challenges and achieve this milestone shows they're learning lessons that will serve them well beyond high school."

Team Overdrive is part of FIRST Robotics Competition, an international program that challenges high school students to design, build, and program industrial-size robots to compete in a fast-paced field game. The program promotes STEM education and provides students with hands-on experience in engineering, programming, project management, and teamwork.

For more information about Team Overdrive and to view competition highlights, visit the team’s website at www.orhsrobotics8410.org/about. Competition highlights may also be viewed on the team’s Instagram account.

Nautilus, Team Overdrive #8410’s robot. (Courtesy Nora Langton).

The team performed last-minute fixes, including swapping a faulty encoder on the elevator. Pictured left to right: Kaleigh Turcotte (rookie), Josh Tomlinson (team lead), and James Lyon (mechanical co-lead).