The start of the 2023-24 robotics season begins soon for the Pella High School Bionic Dutch. The Dutch are part of an international competition called First Tech Challenge (FTC). Last year, over 70,000 students in 53 different countries participated in the head to head competitions where teams design, build, and program robots to compete in an alliance style format.

The Dutch return ten key team members from last year’s record breaking season. The team finished 18-8 while competing in the challenging Des Moines metro league and narrowly missed the opportunity to advance to the state championships, according to coach Brent Ewell.