About Our Team

TBD, also known as To Be Determined, is a sixth-year FIRST Tech Challenge team of six members, Barbora, Ethan, Ian, Kameron, Kavya, and Tyler. We are located in Aurora, Ohio and we strive to innovate, collaborate, and share our experiences with others.

Awards and Recognitions

2011-2012

  • Nominated for Rockwell-Collins Innovate Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)

2012-2013

  • Judge's Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Captain (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Motivate Award (Pennsylvania State Competition)

2013-2014

  • Inspire Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Captain (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • 3rd Place Inspire Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Finalist Alliance Member (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Judge's Award for Autonomous Programming (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Semifinalist Alliance Member (Ohio State Competition)

2014-2015

  • Inspire Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Finalist Alliance Captain (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Control Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Promote Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Newark, OH Regional Qualifier)
  • Rockwell-Collins Innovate Award (Newark, OH Regional Qualifier)
  • 2nd Place Inspire Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Think Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Pennsylvania State Competition)
  • Promote Award (Pennsylvania State Competition)
  • Division Winning Alliance Captain (East Super-Regional)
  • Event Finalist Alliance Captain (East Super-Regional)
  • Division Winning Alliance Captain (World Championship)
  • Event Finalist Alliance Captain (World Championship)

2015-2016

  • Inspire Award (Newark, OH Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Newark, OH Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Captain (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Control Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Compass Award [Awarded to Coach Darren Thieding] (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Inspire Award (Ohio State Competition)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Ohio State Competition)
  • Compass Award [Awarded to Coach Darren Thieding] (Ohio State Competition)
  • Division Winning Alliance Member (North Super-Regional)
  • Event Winning Alliance Member (North Super-Regional)
  • Nominated for Rockwell-Collins Innovate Award (World Championship)
  • Nominated for PTC Design Award (World Championship)
  • Control Award (World Championship)
  • Division Winning Alliance Member (World Championship)
  • Event Winning Alliance Member (World Championship)

2016-2017

  • Inspire Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Finalist Alliance Captain (Cleveland Regional Qualifier)
  • Promote Award (Cleveland Regional Qualifier
  • 2nd Place Inspire Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Finalist Alliance Captain (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • Think Award (Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier)
  • 2nd Place Inspire Award (Van Wert Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Member (Van Wert Regional Qualifier)
  • Control Award (Van Wert Regional Qualifier)
  • Rockwell-Collins Innovate Award (Van Wert Regional Qualifier)
  • Winning Alliance Captain (Ohio State Competition)
  • 2nd Place Inspire Award (Ohio State Competition)
  • Think Award (Ohio State Competition)
  • 2nd Place Control Award (North Super-Regional)
  • Nominated for PTC Design Award (World Championship)
  • Nominated for Control Award (World Championship)
  • Inspire Award Finalist (World Championship)
  • Division Semifinalist Alliance Member (World Championship)

The 2016-2017 Team

Ian Doemling

Ian Doemling is a eighteen-year-old honors student in the twelfth grade at Aurora High School. This is his sixth year in FIRST Tech Challenge and his seventh year in FIRST programs, with his first year being part of a FIRST Lego League team. Designing, constructing, and engineering have all interested him since he was a young child. In addition to FIRST Tech Challenge, Ian is involved in Boy Scouts; is a member of many extracurricular activities, such as student council, National Honor Society, and quiz bowl; and enjoys playing piano as a hobby. Majoring in engineering in college interests Ian, but he is unsure of the specific field he wishes to pursue. He is passionate about FIRST Tech Challenge and values it for the opportunity to build teamwork skills, develop an engineering mindset, and inspire others in the STEM community.

Tyler Thieding

Tyler Thieding is a senior honors student at Aurora High School with a passion for math, science, and technology. He has participated in FIRST Tech Challenge for six years and serves as TBD’s Lead Programmer. From a young age, he has worked with robotics, programming, and academic activities. Outside of robotics, he has received awards for citizenship, mathematics, music, science, and technology. Although he is busy academically with several Advanced Placement classes, he loves to volunteer with the community and is an officer of Key Club and active member of National Honor Society. He is also an Eagle Scout and an alto saxophone player in marching band and symphonic band. He plans to pursue a career in computer science, computer engineering, or software development and double-major in both computer science either robotics or control engineering.

Barbora Ptackova

Barbora Ptackova is fifteen years old and a sophomore honors student at Kenston High School. This is her fourth year in FIRST and her second year in the FTC program. Along with working on hardware, she is also the team's 3D modeler. Science and engineering in general have been her primary interests since an early age, and she hopes to pursue a career in physics or a related field, though she has not decided on a specific field or major. Aside from robotics, she is on her school's Science Olympiad team and enjoys spending her free on digital art, 3D modeling, and reading science fiction

Ethan Ellis

Ethan Ellis is a fifteen year old sophomore at Western Reserve Academy. This is his first year in FIRST Tech Challenge, and his fifth in the FIRST program. Outside of robotics, Ethan plays the cello in his school orchestra, plays golf, and shoots on his school riflery team. Ethan is pursuing a career in mechanical engineering. Ethan likes FIRST Tech Challenge because of its fun way of teaching about STEM.

Kameron Fry

Kameron Fry is a fifteen-year-old honors student in tenth grade at Aurora High School. This is his second year participating in FIRST Tech Challenge and his sixth year in the FIRST program, with his first four years being on a successful FIRST Lego League team. Engineering, designing, and building things have always been a passion of his, since he was a child. Besides robotics, Kameron is involved in school through clubs like Science Olympiad and the marching and concert band as a percussionist, and enjoys spending free time snowboarding. Kameron is interested in pursuing an engineering degree and a career in STEM, but he has not decided what specific path he will take. Kameron enjoys FIRST Tech Challenge for its valuable opportunity to build skills that he would otherwise not have until later in life.

Kavya Kosana

Kavya Kosana is a sixteen-year-old honors student in eleventh grade at Solon High School. This is her third year in FIRST Tech Challenge and her sixth year in the FIRST program, with three years participating in FIRST Lego League. Kavya has a passion for anything related to science, technology, and engineering, especially computer science and theoretical physics. She has participated in various camps and other activities from a young age, and loves competing for FIRST Tech Challenge. In addition to FIRST Tech Challenge, Kavya is a part of her school's art and literary magazine and the Astronomy club. She also volunteers a lot in the community, helping in retirement homes and teaching younger students about STEM. In addition, Kavya enjoys spending her free time reading or drawing with charcoal. In the future, she would like to pursue a career with NASA or some other space agency. She is still unsure about what specific field, but she knows she wants to major in engineering in college.


In The News


Where We've Been

Qualifying Tournament Venues

  • Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus (Highland Hills, OH)
  • Ohio State University Newark Campus (Newark, OH)
  • Robert Morris University (Moon, PA)
  • Shady Side Academy Senior School (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Upper St. Clair High School (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Van Wert High School (Van Wert, OH)

State Championship Venues

  • iSPACE (Cincinnati, OH)
  • Millersville University (Millersville, PA)

Super-Regional Championship Venues

  • University of Scranton (Scranton, PA)
  • U.S. Cellular Center (Cedar Rapids, IA)

World Championship Venue

  • Union Station (St. Louis, MO)

Outreach Event Locations

  • Aurora High School (Aurora, OH)
  • Centerville Mills Park (Bainbridge, OH)
  • Christ Community Chapel (Aurora, OH)
  • Doogan’s of Aurora (Aurora, OH)
  • Georgia World Conference Center (Atlanta, GA)
  • Harmon Middle School (Aurora, OH)
  • Hudson High School (Hudson, OH)
  • IX Center (Cleveland, OH)
  • Leighton Elementary School (Aurora, OH)
  • National Packard Museum (Warren, OH)
  • Kent State University (Kent, OH)
  • Kirtland High School (Kirtland, OH)
  • Rockwell Automation (Mayfield Heights, OH)
  • Sunny Lake Park (Aurora, OH)
  • Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, OH)
  • WOIO/CBS TV 19 (Cleveland, OH)

Our 2016-2017 Sponsors

   Dr. C. Aydin Cabi, D.D.S.   

   Friend Real Estate

   Landerhaven Dental Associates

   Mr. and Mrs. Kreitz

   Rotary Club of Aurora, OH

   Toth Mold and Die