1918 NC GEARS and NC COGS

08/25/2026

Hey Newaygo County! We wanted to give our community a heads-up on something before the school year gets rolling.

This fall, we will not be running our middle school FTC program, NC COGS.

This wasn't an easy call, but it was the right one. Behind the scenes, we're working hard on some exciting changes to our program's future home — and getting that right, for the long haul, means we didn't have the runway to also stand up a full FTC season this fall without stretching our team, mentors, and our students too thin.

We never want to start a season we can't fully show up for. Our kids deserve mentors and a program that are all-in — not stretched between other big transitions.

We hope to be adding some free, no-obligation middle-school workshops as soon as we have space to work with.

The good news? Our FRC team, NC GEARS, is moving forward as planned beginning near the end of the year, and we're genuinely excited about what's ahead. We'll have more to share soon — stay tuned!

Thanks for understanding, and for the two decades of support that's gotten us this far.

Send a message to learn more

07/13/2026

With great pleasure, we announce a new gold level sponsor for the 2026-27 Robotics Season, Integrated Packaging Machinery. This generous sponsorship helps make sure our upcoming robotics season will be a success!

Send a message to learn more

07/07/2026

NC GEARS is thrilled to have been selected as a recipient of a sponsorship by Women Who Care of Newaygo County, providing needed funds to support our 2026-27 Robotics Season.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122217853922369074&set=a.122095057058369074

Women Who Care of Newaygo County gathered on May 19 for its quarterly meeting to select the organization that would receive this quarter’s collective member donation.

Three outstanding Newaygo County nonprofits were nominated, including Patriot Farm, NC Gears, and Newaygo County Compassion Home. Following member presentations and voting, NC Gears was selected as the recipient of a $2,400 collective donation.

Women Who Care of Newaygo County continues to grow its membership and community impact through its simple but powerful model of collective giving. By joining together, members are able to make a meaningful difference for local nonprofits serving Newaygo County.

We invite Newaygo County women to attend the next quarterly meeting on August 18 at TrueNorth Community Services beginning at 6:00 p.m. Those interested in learning more or becoming a member are encouraged to attend.

06/14/2026

It is with bittersweet sorrow that we prepare to say goodbye to the lab we have called home for the past several years.

The decorations have come down, the trophies and banners are packed, and the historic robots are nestled into storage, as we prepare to pack the last few remaining parts of our practice field.

While this marks the end of this chapter for the GEARS, with every closing door, a new one opens. We are optimistic about our future plans, which we will share more about soon.

We are appreciative of the community that has supported us over the years and has had the opportunity to visit our facility. Keep your eyes on the horizon for what comes next for the NC GEARS, NC COGS, and NC PEERS, Inc.

04/22/2026

We wanted to take a moment to recognize a long list of sponsors that helped make our amazing season possible. Without their generous support, our program would not continue to thrive.

Our logo sponsors:
NC PEERS, Inc.
The Ge**er Foundation
The Ploeg Legacy Foundation
Fremont Area Community Foundation
Gene Haas Foundation
GM Wood Products
The Lynema Family
TOYOTA
Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors - Lisa Lightfoot
Schmidt Community Foundation
Newaygo Insurance Agency Inc.
The TenBrink Family
The Traxler Family
The Barstow Family
Newaygo County RESA
Michigan OSET 99h

And our 100 for 100 sponsors:
Health Smart Nutrition
The Lunch Pail
Farmers Insurance - Todd Jones Agency
NAPA Auto Parts of Fremont
Cookies & Cream
Ensing's Water Care
Excellence in Vision
Niebor Electric
Edward Jones - Glenn McLain
Mike Saum - State Farm Agent
Tunney Family
Scott & Robbin Faulkner
Kerkstra Portable Restroom Service INC.
Michael P. Campeau, DDS, PC
Chris Suchner Agency
Anonymous Donors

Send a message to learn more

04/19/2026

After months of team work and grueling, stressful, competition schedules, NC GEARS is proud to wrap our season as the 27th ranked team in Michigan out of 531 teams.

Our competition season saw us achieve:
- Finalist at West Michigan District event
- Excellence in Engineering Award at West Michigan
- Winner at Ferris State District event (undefeated)
- Autonoumous award at Ferris
- 4th seed captain at Michigan State Championship Aptiv division
- Industrial Design award at Michigan State Champs

With 244 district ranking points, we handily secured a spot in the FIRST world championship in Houston.

It is with a heavy heart that we will be declining our invitation to the world champs, but we feel we owe our fans and sponsors an explanation to understand why we would make this decision, which is not done lightly.

The NC GEARS robotics program is celebrating it's 20th year in operation. We intend to stick around another 20 years plus, supporting the youth of Newaygo County in our one of a kind program that provides real world experiences in technology, engineering, business, design, software development, electrical engineering, graphic design, team building, peer development, and so much more.

Our community program, operated by a 501(c)(3) organization, NC PEERS, Inc. is not cheap. We rely entirely on grants and sponsorships, along with calculated financial decision making, to keep our program running.

This season, NC PEERS will be entering a new chapter in our lifetimes as we seek a new, long term facility to call home for our NC GEARS Robotics Center, allowing us to continue serving the youth of Newaygo County.

While we cherish the opportunity to attend the world championship as a team competing in the top 1% of the world, spending upwards of $30k or more would all but ensure the end of the future of this program.

For the second year in a row, we are graciously declining our invitation in order to protect what we hold most dear, the future of the children in our community for years to come.

We encourage you to follow our feed, share our stories, and talk to your community leaders and businesses about what they can do to make sure our program can stick around.

Thank you,
Jim Barstow
NC PEERS, Inc board president and mentor of NC GEARS Robotics

04/18/2026

04/18/2026

Building robots is complex. Securing seats in the stands to watch your robot compete in the Playoffs at the Michigan State Championship is more complex.

04/18/2026

04/18/2026

So, so proud of this team! Our first match today is against Alliance #5 at 9:39am.
Tune in to watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LSvtGNmCc