Lessons from Lake Orion Hydra Dragons as they Head to FIRST Robotics Championships
(Terry Lakins, April 25, 2026)
Lake Orion, MI – The Hydra Dragons, a middle school robotics team from Lake Orion, is one of many Michigan teams that will be competing in the FIRST World Championships in Houston, Texas, from April 29 through May 2nd. They are made up of students from the three Lake Orion middle schools, and they are a three-year-old team. They are the younger sibling team to the Oakview Cyber Dragons, another middle school team in Lake Orion. The Hydra Dragons, named after the mystical three headed dragon (and a nod to being a tri-school team) were originally created to keep up with the increasing interest in robotics in the area.
They might be the newer team, but they are equally locked in and as dedicated. They won the State Championship and got the very much coveted Aspire Award, thanks to their community service and outreach. Now at the World Championship (often referred to simply as Worlds), there will be teams from all over the United States, and from more than 30 countries.
The Essential Practice
A last-minute robotics scrimmage happened to pop up at the Michigan Science Center in mid-April and despite the short notice nine teams showed up to compete. This was a set of practice matches, nothing officially ranked, but no less important because of the chance to fine-tune their craft. The atmosphere had a fun and fast paced feel to it, a shared love and passion for robotics that has united kids and adults alike.
Kari Hessell, the head coach (also known as lead coach one) of the Hydra Dragons, knows that even amongst the fun there is a serious undertone to it all. Any of the adult mentors for the kids may have an assigned role or two but this can shift as needed. This is especially true for the fundraising, which they are required to do on their own by finding sponsors every season (their respective school only provides an account to handle the money). Robotics is known to be quite expensive, and it only climbs higher during competition. For everything associated with Worlds, including all travel expenses, they raised about $30,000.
“It’s overwhelming and exciting. We had to raise a lot of money in a short period of time, and the mentors took on most of that work. But it will be a lifetime moment for these kids.” Hessell said.
Hessell, outside of just being the main coach, is known as the one who keeps it all together, essentially the mother of the group (and a mother of three). Her position is called lead coach one because she shares this role with her husband Steven (he is lead coach two, but we’ll meet him later).
The science center is absolutely bustling with activity, well over a hundred people, so much that body heat can be felt throughout. Some kids are playing out their practice scrimmages, others are tweaking their robots near their pits, and adults are carefully watching and overseeing everything as it all plays out. In the pits there is a very controlled but frantic pace as kinks and issues are being worked out on the robots in real time. The kids playing their actual practice matches is another form of controlled chaos. Kids are scrambling and shouting orders as they try to coordinate, an announcer provides live commentary with a ring side pizzazz, judges studying every movement on their tablets, and of course, robots are driving all around in the pit.
Hessell is seen everywhere, checking on the young Hydra Dragons and coordinating with the mentors. She has a quiet but consistent presence that is pulling everything together. The team mom moniker fits her like a glove. There is a level of intensity during these practice scrimmages, even with just a casual glance, that could be easily mistaken for an official match. But this is just a necessary simulation for the very real and much bigger competition that is to come.
Hessell has this to say about this day: “Our team, and everyone else’s are using this time to make their robot is the best that it can be, and their using this opportunity to try it out on the field. See what’s working, what’s not working, and getting the kinks out before Worlds.”
Robotics: engineering machines and building character
So, what is robotics exactly? This is not as simple as it might seem. Part of it is the building, engineering and competing of the robots in scrimmages (more on that later). The other part of this is community outreach, which is a lesser-known aspect of robotics. Here the kids will do various bits of community service and outreach. This all is in service of their core values, which includes gracious professionalism.
So far, the Hydra Dragons have done 837 hours of outreach this season. This included a book drive to get unused books for families in need and two separate food related drives (one a village food pantry and the other for Forgotten Harvest), both which collectively fed about 500 families for a week. They have mentored FLL teams (First Lego League), which is the elementary school equivalent of Robotics, on building and coding. They also have STEM nights, which they use to introduce people to robotics, and have logged 245 hours of industry hours, which consists of them learning about their field from professionals.
Community outreach is also essential while competing. The kids are required to speak about this in front of judges in competition and this has its own grading associated with it. Even the condition of their pits at competition is graded. Winning matches isn’t enough on their own, proof of great character growth through outreach is another key component. Hessell also added that while some of their kids are extremely shy and have trouble speaking up, learning to speak to judges and doing outreach has helped them gain more confidence.
Robotics, the actual game itself
At the beginning of each FTC season the team is given a “game”. The game consists of a certain task that the robot will need to fulfill to score, and from there the team will begin to build their robot in service of accomplishing that. If an object needs to be picked up or manipulated on the playing field that is called an artifact. While this basic structure never changes, the theme and actual style of game changes every season. Once the team gets a grasp on that season’s game they’ll start planning, building, and testing their robot to hone its skills.
This year’s game involves a robot that can suck up different colored wiffle balls (this game’s artifact) and then launch them into corner goals, with a few rules attached. The robot can only suck up three wiffle balls or less at a time before launching them. The balls can be only launched in specific zones. There is also a color sequence to the wiffle balls that is randomized each match. Launching them in the correct color sequence adds points. Sounds simple enough but it’s a bit more complicated than that.
In this game the drive team will consist of four members. The driver controls the actual physical movement of the robot itself, like a pilot driving its craft. The operator controls the intake and the launch of the artifacts, like a co-pilot working in close tandem with the driver. The human player corrals the artifacts in their zone, trying to prevent their opponents from grabbing them and strategizes the sequence to put their team in a better position (they can only hold up to six artifacts). The drive coach oversees all three, directing them like a commander during the moment-to-moment action.
Now, in official matches each drive team is also working with another robotics drive team, as a formed alliance, trying to accomplish the same goal in tandem. So, both teams and their robots need to be coordinated to see success. It should be noted that a formed alliance will share a human player between the two drive teams. They do this while simultaneously working against another alliance of teams, trying to do the same thing with their robots. All of this is done in just two minutes and thirty seconds per match. Now here is where this gets interesting. The first 30 seconds of every match is completely autonomous, meaning no human hands control the robots at first; it’s left to the skill of the programing beforehand. After that first 30 seconds control shifts back to human hands and the rest of the match plays out. The final 20 seconds, known as endgame, will have a special task that if completed can net a team a cache of extra points.
While all of this is going on the judges are watching for everything. They keep track of points scored but they’re also checking for penalties. Having more than three artifacts in your robot? Penalty. Shooting the artifacts outside of the launch zone? Penalty. Hitting another robot in a certain zone, pinning their robot against the wall or switching their robot off with intention? Major penalty. So even amongst the chaotic nature of matches being cautious is necessary. With all of this in mind, these matches are essentially land roving dogfights. But instead of robots trying to dismantle each other, they are trying to quickly and carefully outmaneuver each other on points. It is quick, cerebral, calculated, white knuckled, and in this game’s case, wiffle ball chaos.
The Kids of the Hydra Dragons
There is a total of 15 kids in the Hydra Dragons. The kids will usually have an essential role on the team, and often a secondary or third role. These kids have many different skills, and they are often leveraged in the team’s interest. Among the hustle and bustle of the practice scrimmage, four of them took the time to give an interview and talk about their experience going into Worlds. Let’s meet them.
The Master of Rebuilding
Augusto Azevedo is a member of the build team, those who work on constructing the robot itself. Azevedo, 13, grade 7, described the process of engineering as the robot starts as a brainstormed concept on a whiteboard that eventually gets fully built, programmed and put into practice. The practice of executing this is a lot of physical trial and error, but that’s the point. Rebuilding the robot and running essential tests to perfection is all but essential to the process. Azevado said on average they probably must rebuild their robot at least 20 times a season.
In one instance they had to do thirty different launch tests, with different launch types, just to get the correct speed and accuracy they were looking for. His secondary job on the team is to help with videos for their social media presence. He also does some public relations for the team, owing to his confidence and willingness to speak to anyone.
When Azevedo found out he was going to worlds, he was really surprised and thrilled. Surprised because they are only a third-year team, and thrilled because it’s more of a chance to get exposed to robotics, this time on a larger scale. This has motivated him to keep going and do his best.
“It gonna be interesting because we’ll be one of the few middle school teams there, the rest will be high schoolers,” Azevedo said. “I am prepared and I’m excited. Never give up!”
Outside of Robotics he does track, swimming, website building, and band.
The Field Commander
Natalie Hessell (the daughter of both head coaches) is a member of the drive team, specifically as the drive coach, where she directs the rest of the team on what to do during the game. This can be either on exactly where to pilot the robot, when to pick up artifacts, when to shoot them, where the human player needs to be or whatever is needed on a moment-to-moment basis. Natalie, 13, grade 7, described her role as something she just wings it as she goes, but given how chaotic a match can be, it works for her. Being vocal is something she excels at, and she has been described as fearless and not afraid to challenge her teammates, especially when making those tough split-second calls. Some even call her “boss”, but she always tries to be kind and play the game right.
Her secondary job is in the business team, handling social media, outreach and advertising for the team. She specializes in making videos for the team and often teams up with Azevedo on public relations. Natalie initially felt the prospects of going to worlds to be scary, because it was just something she couldn’t have imagined. Any nerves she has are not going to get in the way of what comes next.
“We’ve never gotten into worlds as long as Hydra has been here, and we’ve never been to Texas before as a team, so I’m going to have fun and experience it,” Natalie told Oakland County Times.
Outside of robotics Natalie keeps herself busy. She loves to play with her dogs, loves to sing in the bedroom and does diamond art. She will even get the chance to debut her singing to a crowd in a musical version of the Little Mermaid musical, where she is playing the lead character Aerial.
The Artifact Wrangler
Daniel Gonzalez Lopez is the human player on the field, which consists of handling the artifacts in his specific zone to feed the robot, and serve whatever human components of the game need to be done. His job is fast-paced and quite difficult. He does work on the build team, often involved with testing the robot’s performances, and is also involved with the business team, specifically assisting with posters and interviews to help with the outreach.
Gonzalez Lopez said that going to worlds feels amazing and that he is looking forward to spending time in Texas. He is proud and grateful of his team’s accomplishments thus far and has always felt that you’re always winning if you are learning something new.
“I would really like to have fun and I’m looking forward to the community I’ll find amongst the robotics team there,” Gonzalez Lopez said.
Outside of Robotics he plays sports, including soccer, gymnastics, track, and cross country. He also is in band, enjoys advanced math, and occasional video games.
The Ace Operator
Carter Kleinheksel is the robot operator on the team, where he is using a controller to manipulate actions the robot takes. Specifically, he is controlling the intake of the artifacts and when to launch them. Kleinheksel, 13, grade 8, also pulls double duty behind the scenes as the code lead, the person who oversees the majority of programming for the robot. He was excited to know he was going to worlds but has described these last few weeks as nerve wracking as everyone scrambled to get the robot as ready as it can be. This is not going to stop him from having a solid goal for the championship.
“If you’re working hard, you can do almost anything, so I would like to win more than half of our matches at Worlds,” Kleinheksel said. “I know it’s a lot, but I feel like we can do it if we can work and try really hard.”
Outside of robotics he takes piano lessons, is in band, and enjoys advanced math. He is also in the boys Scouts of America, working hard and getting closer every day to earn the eagle scout.
The Parents of the Hydra Dragons
Katherine Dixon is a mentor in training, this being her first season with the Hydra Dragons. She previously worked in the First Lego League (elementary level), so she has experience in the scene. Despite Dixon being newer to this team her energy and enthusiasm is really uplifting, smiles and all. When the kids gave their interviews, she was the calming presence that prepared them for it and was on standby if they needed support.
“It’s easy to cheer these kids on and motivate them. We find every single attribute they are naturally good at, and we leverage it for the team,” Dixon said. “In doing so we also challenge them to go outside their comfort zone as a team, and as individuals, so they can grow. It’s what feeds and drives me to always be their cheerleader and to remind them of what they have accomplished because they forget sometimes.”
Dixon also has a special task for Worlds and that is handling the transport of the team’s equipment all the way to Texas. When it comes to traveling to a competition like this, getting a robot and all the necessary equipment is a logistical challenge. Some will ship their equipment, others will find a way to get it on an airplane, and for those that can, many will be driving it down themselves. Usually, a U-Haul or some kind of similar rental truck will get the job done. Dixon is taking an unconventional route: a veterinary horse trailer.
This choice of transport, which is extremely large and unwieldly, is for practical reasons. One of their sponsors lent it to them for the trip, and when every dollar counts, you take what you can get. Even facing a grueling 20-hour drive across multiple states, Dixon is all smile and spirits. She sees the large transport as an advantage of being able to carry extra stuff for the team, and jokes that the trailer will be cleaned and devoid of all horse smells. She will be departing earlier than the rest of the team, who mainly will be flying down, just to account for the lengthy trip. This task has no official name or title, but she is essentially working as the Hydra Dragon’s logistical cargo courier, an example of the countless ways a mentor will show up for the team.
Steven Hessell is lead coach two, sharing this lead role with his wife Kari. Specifically, he manages and coordinates the technical design for the engineering process, with an emphasis on tweaking it for competition readiness. During both the matches, and the in-between time spent in the pits, Steven is never without his laptop, constantly running numbers, statistics, and any programing he needs. Focused would best describe his manner, though he himself says he’s always running on adrenaline during these events. Even for his time to sit down for this interview, everything was broken down in a very structural and consistent manner. The technical side of things is his forte, and by his own admission, Steven talks in bullet points.
Earning the right to go to Worlds, he admits, is something he is still trying to fathom.
“Right now, it’s hard to gain a full perspective on everything, but It’s the fact that were going that matters. It’s an honor to go to Worlds,” Steven said. “This season we had some amazing successes we could never have expected, and we just had the right recipe for the robot early on.”
Steven feels this last-minute scrimmage is important because it’s to help the kids regain their edge since winning the State Championship. He finds the opportunity to practice with other teams, test different things, and not to worry about how they look on their matches is crucial to helping them build confidence. They can always practice on their own and look good doing it, but Steven said that nothing beats the raw scrimmage. He added that it is when things don’t go as planned that coordination and quick decisions become crucial.
Normally the team meets four days out of the week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday), which seems like a good amount on the surface, but Steven disagrees. From a coach’s perspective that’s not enough time, but it’s impossible to do more because the kids have other commitments via school, extracurricular activities, and family.
Practice and preparation aside, every scenario cannot be planned for. With all the excitement there is one thing that Steven does worry about at Worlds. With competition this big the chance of dealing with ego-driven teams is higher, even with the emphasis on gracious professionalism. To further complicate this is the fact that most teams competing will be high schoolers, and the Hydra Dragons are among a small pool of middle schoolers competing. While being paired with a high school team in an alliance Steven hopes their kids can perform their best without being looked down upon. He had this to say further emphasizing this point:
“We help these kids a lot. We coach them, we enable them, we analyze data, and we help teach them skills. But the hardest thing that I have to do is let these kids stand on their own when dealing with their high school partners. I don’t want them treated as just middle schoolers or to be told a get out of the way so the older kids can handle it. I want our kids to be confident and well equipped to push their ideas, to disagree on strategy when necessary and be able to explain why. I want them to get the respect they’ve already earned and be valued for what they can bring.”
No matter how the competition plays out, there is an added realization that quietly looms. Many of the kids will be graduating from middle school this year, which also means graduating from this team. Some of these kids will be entering FRC (First Robotics Competition), the high school level, continuing their robotics journey. But regardless, for any graduating this year, this event on the world stage will be some of the kids’ last hurrah with the Hydra Dragons. Through Steven’s expressed concern, these are the kind of stakes that are felt to the core. Unlike the robots they build, emotional weight of seeing young people grow cannot be solved like an engineering problem. It can only be prepared for, and experienced, a moment that resonates for both the kids and mentors who watch over them.
Kari Hessell had this to add: “This is going to be a fun experience for these kids. It starts with 15 young kids brainstorming an idea on a whiteboard and having a working robot on the field at the end point. They have support from the mentors but they’re doing this themselves. These kids are brilliant, we’re proud of them, and we hope they thrive on any path they take.” To learn more about the Hydra Dragons visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/hydradragonsftc23623 or their website at https://hydradragonsftc.org/about/.
