Helena FIRST teams Fusion, Nebula, Protostars heading to Houston, Netherlands, Canada

Helena robotics squads secured spots at several high-profile FIRST events after the state meet in February, with Team Fusion bound for the FIRST Tech World Championship in Houston in April, Team Nebula earning a place at the FIRST Tech Challenge European Premiere Event in the Netherlands on June 17, 2026, Protostars selected for a world premier tournament in Canada in July, and Team Nano headed to Long Beach in May to face 90 other teams.

The teams have been working on their robots since September and competed at state in February, where these teams qualified or earned invitations to upcoming competitions. Team Fusion members and mentors said the season-long effort paid off with the Houston berth and local recognition tied to their work with the Helena Airport. Kathleen Cook, from Team Fusion, described the partnership: “We help the TSA with a variety of projects, so we are in the basement of the Helena Airport. They reach out to us when they have things that they need fixed or problems they have we find solutions for them.” With that collaboration, Helena “has been named a lift cell airport innovation hub.”

Fusion member Kate Drynan framed the teams’ pipeline from youth programs into technical careers: “So we start in elementary school up through senior year of high school just kind of involved in STEM and so it is just like a gateway into engineering and career paths.” Organizers and volunteers say fundraising will be needed to cover travel, registration and lodging; those interested in supporting travel for the Montana teams can visit the Main Sequence website.

Protostars will travel to Canada in July for what Helena coaches called a “world premier” event that adds an unusual twist: coaches and mentors build competing robots alongside students. Protostar team member Harrison Plummer said, “The cool thing with this event is our coaches and mentors get to make their own robot and they get to compete against us.” The competition format used across these FIRST events generally rewards robots that place blocks in a basket or hang them on a pipe: “The teams earn points by having their robots put blocks in a basket or hang them on a pipe.” Organizers also noted the hybrid control format: “Part of the competition the robots are driven by team members while other times they are autonomous.”

Team Nano, an elementary-level Helena entry, will travel to Long Beach in May to compete against 90 other teams from across the world. Team Nano member Rivers Brown summarized the appeal: “I love the engineering and engineering to find solutions to real-world problems.”

Montana’s robotics calendar remains active beyond Helena: the state list includes events such as “MSU hosts statewide finals of FIRST Lego Competition on Feb 7, 2026” and other regional qualifiers. Helena’s four teams are now scheduled to represent the county on international and national stages in April, May, June and July, carrying locally built robots and community partnerships to competitions abroad.