SWLA Tech Pirates

08/26/2026

Come visit us at the Thunder Over Louisiana Air Show Presented By Kia of Lake Charles this weekend!!

HOW FUN IS THIS?!

⚛ Fans of all ages will have the chance to try fun, hands-on activities that showcase what STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and aviation are all about in the STEM Center at this weekend's show!

🙌 We strive to get people excited about the many opportunities in STEM and aviation, and we are immensely grateful to Calcasieu Parish Police Jury for helping bring this exciting addition to life.

🤖 The STEM Center will feature activities from Louisiana Region 5 STEM Center, McNeese State University, and SOWELA Technical Community College. Guests will be able to explore interactive exhibits and learn about future careers in our region.

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
Drone Simulator Time Trial Challenge
Sphero Maze
Paper Plane Challenge
Whirly Bird Paper Activity
Stomp Rockets
Fizzy Rockets
Blaze Pods

👉 Learn more about the STEM Center at the link below. And be sure to secure your tickets for the upcoming Air Show - August 29 & 30 at Chennault International Airport!

📲 ThunderOverLouisiana.com/attractions/stem-center

07/28/2026

The Tech Pirates have been busy visiting summer camps! 🏴‍☠️🤖

In the past two weeks, we had a great time sharing robotics with students at the Louisiana Region 5 STEM Center’s Robot Basics Camp and the CPSB Technology Camp. We enjoyed demonstrating our robot, talking about our team, and introducing students to the exciting world of FIRST competitive robotics.

Thank you to both camps for having us! We loved meeting so many future STEM leaders.

We are not done yet. Catch us this Friday back at the Region 5 STEM Center for the V5RC Competition Camp! 🏴‍☠️

07/10/2026

Congrats Morgan Babineaux!!!!!

PASSING THE TORCH: A familar face will succeed Cynthia Arceneaux.
https://www.kplctv.com/2026/07/10/morgan-babineaux-named-cynthia-arceneauxs-successor-7news-evening-anchor/

07/10/2026

We had an amazing time visiting the Louisiana Region 5 STEM Center and speaking with the students participating in their Summer Drone Camp!

We enjoyed sharing who we are, what our team does, and the exciting opportunities available through robotics. One of the highlights of the day was demonstrating our robot and giving students a firsthand look at the technology and teamwork that go into FIRST competitive robotics.

We were thrilled to see so much enthusiasm from the campers, and we’re excited that several students expressed interest in joining our team in the future!

A huge thank you to the staff at the Region 5 STEM Center for inviting us! We appreciate everything you do to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.

We’ll be participating in a few more camp presentations this summer, so stay tuned for more🏴‍☠️

06/22/2026

Last week, some of our student leaders had the opportunity to participate in an outreach event at The Children's Museum at Port Wonder in Lake Charles!

We were invited to be guest speakers for their summer robotics camp, where we demonstrated our 2026 competition robot and shared what it means to be part of the SWLA Tech Pirates with students from Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Our students had an absolute blast teaching, demonstrating, and giving the campers an opportunity to drive our robot themselves. And let’s just say… we were incredibly impressed by how quickly these young campers picked it up!

After the demonstration, the Children’s Museum staff invited us to showcase our robot in the museum’s public area so that visitors who weren’t participating in the camp could also experience what robotics is all about!

There’s nothing quite like watching little faces light up with excitement as our big yellow game pieces flew across the museum and seeing their curiosity turn into pure joy!

At the end of the day, each camper officially earned the title of “Junior Tech Pirate” for demonstrating curiosity, creativity, teamwork, and a willingness to explore the exciting world of STEM.

Thank you again to the Southwest Louisiana Children’s Museum for inviting us to be part of such a fun and meaningful experience. We loved inspiring the next generation of innovators and engineers, and we hope to be back again next year! 🏴‍☠️🤖💚

05/04/2026

SWLA Tech Pirates – 2026 Season & World Championship Coaches Report

Wow! This team pushed past every expectation. Making it to the World Championship 3 times in 5 years is special. It comes from students who choose to show up, put in the work, and believe in what they’re building.

Honestly, this was the best team and robot we’ve ever had.

This season didn’t come easy. We built our robot in 15 days, and our first competition showed it. We had many problems, but no one hung their heads. They fixed what needed fixing and came back better. By our second event, they became finalists and secured their spot at Worlds.

After that, the students wanted a full redesign. They saw exactly what needed to improve. That’s what you hope for as a mentor. With our current resources, it just wasn’t possible, so they made the harder choice: taking what they had and pushing it as far as they could.

They stayed late, came in early, and even traveled out of town to work at Denham Venom’s build space just to keep improving. That level of commitment isn’t something you can teach.

Worlds definitely tested us. The record didn’t go our way, and we finished 58th in our division. We faced motor faults and mechanical failures, but not one student quit. After every match, they were back in the pit, tearing the robot apart and 3D printing parts. They refused to give up on each other.

To our sponsors, families, and supporters - thank you! None of this happens without you. You’ve given these students the chance to experience something bigger than themselves.

We know there’s more ahead. For 5 years, we’ve built this program in limited spaces, without necessary tools, often relying on other teams to manufacture parts. We’re grateful, but we know more is possible.

Even with those challenges, this team finished #3 in Louisiana, #367 in the United States, and #445 in the world. That says everything about who they are and what kind of students we are developing. Now imagine what they could do with the right resources.

We’re heading into the offseason focused and motivated...here’s to the future for the SWLA Tech Pirates!

05/02/2026

This marks our third trip to the world stage, and somehow it never feels the same twice. Each year brings a new level of pressure, new challenges, and a whole new set of lessons. You can see the growth in our team every time we step onto that field. The experience we gain here is something you just cannot replicate anywhere else.

This season pushed us in a lot of ways, and that is why earning the #3 spot in Louisiana means so much to us. It was not a straight path, and it definitely was not easy, but our students showed up, adapted, and kept going. That grit is what got us here, and it is what will keep pushing us forward.

While we were here, our students also took time to attend conferences and learn from others in the program. They are already thinking about what they can bring back and build on for next season, which says everything about the kind of team they are.

None of this would have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors. Your investment in our students, our program, and our future truly makes all of this possible, and we are incredibly grateful.

We are leaving inspired, a little tired, and very ready for what comes next.

More pics to come…but offseason, here we come!!!!!

05/02/2026

2027 season release🌎☀️🐐🌊🌿🌱🐞

05/02/2026

Congratulations to our World Championship Pit Challenge winners!

Sandra from VOLTEC Robotics 6647 took home the win in our fuel count challenge. The correct total was 571 and her guess of 567 was incredibly close.

Alyssa from Mt Pleasant's Rockefeller Robotics won our tower count challenge with a perfect guess. The correct number of towers was 132 and she nailed it exactly.

Thank you to every team that stopped by and participated in our pit challenges. We loved meeting all of you and hope to see you again next year!

05/01/2026

BREAKING: Sorry to say this but Bigfoot has officially left Lake Charles 👀

After all the recent sightings around Calcasieu Parish, we finally tracked him down.

Turns out he made his way to Houston and is now hanging out with robots 🤖💛

Spotted putting in some work on the field and testing his ball handling skills. Not bad, but we think he still needs a little practice.

Do not worry SWLA, we have eyes on him at the FRC World Championship. If he starts trying to join an alliance, we will keep you posted.