Thunder Lab

We were so busy raising funds for Istanbul this spring that we forgot to share this article about our team in the Hungry Horse News.

Robot team heading to Istanbul A group of young men from Columbia Falls and Kalispell have been working on a robot that throws balls into a basket for many months now. They now get to test their machine against dozens of others halfway around the world in a competition in Istanbul, Turkey, later this month.

We were thrilled to be the featured non-profit at the Columbia Falls Community Market this season. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share with our community the important work Thunder Lab is doing.

Thunder Lab is preparing a slideshow to share some of our experiences in Turkey and at the Istanbul Premier Event. We feel deep gratitude to our sponsors for helping us turn this rare opportunity into a community success story. It was an absolutely unforgettable adventure and opened our eyes to a broader world. We set a deadline to have it out before the 2026-27 Season Kick-Off, BIOBUZZ, on September 12th, so please stay tuned!

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Battling the heat in the event center has been a big challenge. Unfortunately, the building’s cooling system has experienced a technical failure, and we have been informed that it cannot be fully repaired for the event. Our tough Montana kids are pushing through, though.

You can watch the live streams of the 3rd and final day of the FTC Istanbul Premier via the link below.

Live – FTC İstanbul Premier Event | Türkiye

Thunder Lab on the practice field, getting ready for a match. Focused.

Yesterday went well! We are currently ranked 13th in our division out of 37 teams. 3 wins, 2 losses, and a Tie. We have two more qualifying matches to play today. Wish us luck, please!! Go Thunder Lab 26706. USA!

https://ftc-events.firstinspires.org/2025/FPEISTRDIV While all of our supporters back in Montana are getting ready for sleep, Thunder Lab is on the other side of the world, getting ready for a big competition day in Istanbul, Turkiye. Montana, USA! You can watch the qualification matches live or recorded using the provided link.