The 2026 Rumble in the Rockies Signature Event, held in Salt Lake City, Utah was one of the most competitive tournaments of the VEX season thus far, drawing many of the top teams in the world to compete for high-stakes awards and coveted World Championship qualifications. VEX signature events represent a higher level of play than standard regional tournaments; teams travel across states and national borders to test themselves against the best of the best. With a total of 105 teams in attendance at the Utah Signature Event, Rumble in the Rockies, or Rumble for short, every match carried weight. Teams such as 47874J Occam’s Chainsaw — currently ranked first in world with combines skills score of 229 (they posted an impressive score of 213 at Rumble) — and 16099A Overclock, previous World Champions 11101B Barcbots Getting There, Signature Event winners: 2054V Pika Pika, 2145Z Pink Shinee Unicorns, and Brownell Talbot’s 1028A — raised the competitive ceiling of the event.
Brownell Talbot sent two teams to Rumble, 1028A – Washed, and 1028T – Toxic, who provided a strong showing for Brownell Talbot robotics. Competing in the Wasatch Division, 1028A went a flawless 9-0 in qualification matches, earning the first seed out of 51 teams, an extraordinary feat. They were also ranked fifth in skills out of 84 teams, with a 92 driver score and a 90 programming score, providing a grand total of 182. After selecting 2154A – Ad Astra to form the top-seeded alliance, they advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Occam’s Chainsaw and Overclock A. In addition to their competitive success, 1028A earned the Amaze award for their highly competitive robot and overall quality of excellence. “I was really excited to travel to a new place, and that my team was able to win the Amaze Award,” says Logbooker Rital Miller ‘26. “We learned a lot about how to work with new teams and strategies,” added Engineer Christopher Holtzclaw ‘27.
Meanwhile, in the Oquirrh division, 1028T went 6-3 in qualifications, finishing qualifying matches as the 7th seed out of 48 teams. They ranked 11th in skills with a 162 combined score (92 driver and 70 programming), missing a World Championship qualification by just three points. “I’m really happy with how we performed in skills, and I think we can take that momentum into even stronger match performances,” as reflected by Engineer Mason White ‘28. 1028T captained the 5th alliance in the Oquirrh division, partnering with 15486N Tyrannical Turtles before losing to future tournament champions 2054V Pika Pika and 3150A Silver Owls. After reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Driver and Engineer Hunter Khoury ‘28 summed up the team’s performance with optimism, “I am really proud of how well Brownell Talbot and Nebraska performed in Utah, competing against some of the best teams in the world. ”
As a whole, Nebraska teams made a strong impression, highlighted by 8675A Jenny’s remarkable elimination run. After going 0-9 in qualifications in the Oquirrh Division, Jenny was selected by 1412J – Lunar New Year BANSHEE! And surged to the divisional finals, upsetting higher-seeded alliances along the way, showing that you should never bet against Nebraska. They won the first match of the best-of-three finals series before ultimately falling to 2054V – Pika Pika and 3150A Silver Owls. Jenny also secured a World Championship qualification through skills with a 165 and earned the Build Award for their unique lever-style robot. From amazing matches to high skills scores across the board, Nebraska teams consistently proved they are among the highest-level VEX competitors.
The Oquirrh Division quickly became the most unpredictable bracket of the tournament, as top seeds fell in matches few expected. The first-seeded alliance of 11101B Barcbots Getting There and their sister team, 11101X Coming Soon, entered elimination matches as one of the most formidable alliances, but in Quarterfinals 1, they were stunned by the ninth-seed alliance of 8000B Head-Royce Robohawks and 2429V Lithium Mamba – Radiant, in a decisive 47 – 21 loss.
Soon after, Oquirrh’s second-seeded alliance, 2145Z Pink Shinee Unicorns, and 80001X Double Double suffered a similar fate. Facing the seventh seed 8675A Jenny and 1412J Lunar New Year BANSHEE!, the higher-ranked alliance struggled to maintain control of scoring game elements as Jenny and Lunar New Year BANSHEE! played aggressive defense and consistently de-scored the opposing alliance’s game elements. The 43 – 34 loss eliminated another intimidating alliance. In a division stacked with talent, these back-to-back upsets reignited the competitive energy in Oquirrh, pushing teams to elevate their performance and sending a clear reminder that rankings offer no guarantees, but performance and hard work do.
The tournament finals delivered an unexpected and heartwarming moment that had all the audience members on their feet. The Blue alliance of 2054V Pika Pika and 3150A Silver Owls faced the Red alliance of 47874J Occam’s Chainsaw and 16099A Overclock in a best two-of-three showdown. The Blue Alliance won the first match 0-42, but the Red Alliance kept their composure and responded quickly, winning the second match 48-28, leaving it to a single, decisive round. Before the third finals match, 2054V Pika Pika was given the Sportsmanship Award, and 3150A Silver Owls received the Design Award.
Amidst the mounting pressure, disaster struck for the Blue alliance when Silver Owls experienced technical difficulties after the autonomous period and disconnected, rendering them inert for the driver-controlled period of the match, leaving Pika Pika to compete alone against two of the most accomplished teams in the world. Occam’s Chainsaw entered as the number one skills team globally with 9 awards (14 as of now), and Overclock, who currently has quadrupled, qualified for VEX’s World tournament. Few in the audience believed that Pika Pika could win this daunting 1 vs 2 final match. However, Pika Pika’s hoarder-style robot, featuring an internal basket that allowed them to start with large quantities of game objects, was the difference-maker. Throughout the match, they stockpiled blue game elements from various match loaders around the field, then, in the final 40 seconds, they began aggressively de-scoring red alliance game elements from the long goals, trying to replace them with blue to earn a control bonus. They were successful in de-scoring the majority of the red alliance game elements, but hadn’t yet gained control of the long goals.
In the closing moments of the match, Pika Pika outmaneuvered Occam’s Chainsaw and Overclock, gaining control of the upper and lower middle goals, and eliminating the reds’ control bonus from one of the long goals. Pika Pika then launched their signature move; they made a mad dash for one of the field’s long goals, latched on, and blasted it full of blue. Unable to change their fate, Occam’s Chainsaw and Overclock stood shocked at their defeat. The audience soared to their feet as Pika Pika and Silver Owls celebrated their win with hugs and cheering from the amazed crowd. However, the Red alliance didn’t come away empty-handed, 47874J Occam’s Chainsaw earning the Robotics Skills Championship, while their alliance partners 16099A Overclock won the Innovate Award. Pika Pika secured the Tournament Championship in one of the most dramatic finishes of the season, proving that strategy, composure, and execution can overcome even the steepest odds.
