Student Robotics League
SRL is designed to work in classrooms, clubs, and afterschool programs – no prior robotics experience required.
What SRL Is
- Designed for grades 2-12
- Works with mixed skill levels
- Emphasizes learning, iteration, and teamwork
- Scales from classrooms, beginner clubs, to advanced competition
- Flexible season - your school chooses how to run their program and when
SRL is not a single event.
It’s a season-long (or multi-season) robotics league that combines engineering, creativity, and competition in a format inspired by televised robot combat but adapted for students, safety, and schools.
Student teams work with their coaches to:
- CREATE – Apply imagination, skill, and effort to bring something into existence.
- MARKET – Create and communicate value. Make a memorable Brand that Stands Out.
- COMPETE – Challenge their abilities against others AND help others compete at their very best.
Coach note: SRL is light-hearted fun at its core. It rewards teamwork, brand, and behavior as much as robot performance. We are going to destroy things inside the Battle Arena – it is expected, okay, and happens to everyone!
Team Brand
Branding is not decoration - it's engagement.
Why SRL emphasizes Brand:
- Builds team ownership and pride
- Increases attendance and retention
- Makes events exciting for families and spectators
- Gives new or non-technical students an easy entry point
- Increases parent and adult engagement
- Even the best ideas are meaningless if no one remembers them
Brand expectations are creative before competitive – teams are encouraged to be memorable, not professional.
Arena Play
What to Focus On:
- Robot durability and control
- Strategy and iteration - try ideas
- Safety and helping others - the best matches are where everyone is at their best
- Repair skills - for your robot and your opponent's if they need it
- Being memorable
Duckbowl Arena Play
Duckbowl Arena play gives teams a fun, low-risk space to showcase their Brands, learn competition fundamentals, and build confidence through fast-paced, less-destructive matches.
Battle Arena
The Battle Arena is SRL’s higher-intensity competition environment where teams test robot performance, strategy, and durability in structured, head-to-head matches.