About us

We are FTC Team Orange, a robotics team from Breda, The Netherlands. Since our founding in 2018, we have been dedicated to exploring science, technology, engineering, and teamwork through the FIRST Tech Challenge.

FTC Team Orange:

"If your robot does not work there is not enough ductape on it"

Meet Team Orange

Team members

Lucas van Hattum

Head of Software Development

Hello, I am Lucas. I am 14 years old. I am the head of software by FTC Team Orange. The Decode season is my second season in ftc and my 4th season in first. I love to program and I have made 4 samples autonomous last year.

In my lego league seasons I have learnt a lot about programming and working in a team and I love to bring that back in all my years of FTC.

Wald Verkroost

Head of CAD desing, Chief engineer,

Hi, I’m Wald. I’m 15 years old, and I’m the chief engineer of Team Orange. I first started with FTC in the 2023–2024 Centerstage season, so Decode will be my third year participating. In my role as engineer, I mainly focus on the robot side of FTC and lead the way in designing and constructing the robot.

Over the past seasons, I’ve learned a lot about teamwork, problem-solving, and how to turn ideas into working designs. I enjoy experimenting with new mechanisms and finding creative solutions to technical challenges. My favourite part of FTC is seeing the robot evolve from sketches and CAD models into a fully functioning machine on the field.

Koen Vriens

Head Outreach, Head of PR

Hi, my name is Koen, I am 16yo and I am the Head of PR and Outreach for our FTC team. I truly enjoy this role because it allows me to connect not only with local businesses, but also with larger companies and organizations. This is already my fifth year in the world of FIRST. I started out in the FIRST LEGO League for two seasons, and after that I moved on to FIRST Tech Challenge. Since the 2023–2024 Centerstage season, I’ve been fully part of FTC, where I get to combine my passion for communication with the exciting challenges of robotics.

Evi Szablewski

Software Developper & Outreach

Hi, I’m Evi, I’m 16 years old and I am a programmer and I do outreach. I first started in FLL with Robert and later joined team SPACE and now team Orange. This is my third season of FTC. And my fourth year within FIRST

Huub Goorden

Engineer

Hi, I'm Huub and I'm 14 years old. I don't have a specific task on the team, but I prefer to help build the robot. My experience with First started at FLL, where I participated for two years, and now I'm starting my second year at FTC.

Robert Nedersticht

Cad Designer, Engineer

Hello, I'm Robert. My role in the team is engineering & cad-design. I've been doing for 3 years now, first at team Space 10918, but now here at team Orange. I'm very exited to start the Decode season in my new team!

Team Mentors

Bas van Empel

Hello, I’m Bas, one of the mentors of Team Orange. I am a FIRST alumnus with 12 years of experience across FLL, FTC, and FRC. I support the team wherever I can, but my main expertise lies in game strategy and mechanical design.

I hold a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from TU Delft, specializing in process optimization and large equipment design, and I currently work as a field service engineer. I hope to share my knowledge and experience with the team to help them build more reliable robots and strengthen their problem-solving skills.

Luuk van Empel

Hello, I'm Luuk, I’m 19 years old and I’m a past member and current mentor of team Orange. Starting in team SPACE in 2019 I now have 6 years of participating in FTC behind me, and I still love helping the team wherever I can to make them have just as much fun as I always have had. This year I started my bachelor in mechanical engineering at the TU Delft and I hope to use my expertise to help the team even further. My expertise lies mostly in Strategy and design but as a former programmer of team orange i try to help in that department too.

Elliott Schuurman

Hi, I’m Elliott, former team member, and now mentor of Team Orange. Starting with FLL in 2020, and continuing to FTC in 2022, I now have almost seven years of experience in FIRST. While I was still a student in the team, I mainly focused on the mechanical side of the robot as chief engineer, and was part of the drive team for my last two years. I also played a big role in the communication with businesses, FLL teams in our area, and partners that helped us in our process.

Following my passion of robotics in FTC, I just started my bachelors degree in Mechatronics at the Avans in Breda. Which will hopefully make me be able to work as an engineer later on, with a vast amount of different kind of jobs being open to me with the knowledge that I will be gathering now. I hope that i can really use the experience that I gathered in FIRST in my study but also my everyday life, and that I can use my study to further help the team in their mission.

Gabriël Huijbregts

Hi, I'm Gabriël, alumni and mentor of team Orange I've done FTC for 4 years doing everything from outreach to hardware and software. I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft. I want to help the team stay strong and help them with my past experience in the team in all the different aspects in FTC.

Iwan van Rosmalen

I am Iwan, 15 years of age and I am a mentor of team Orange. I did 2.5 years off FTC, it started all with powerplay in 2022 in Team Gentlebotz I was in Gentlebotz til 2024 centerstage because of a lack of members. And now I try to help the team with the things I can do.

Team coaches

Peter van Hattum

Hi! I’m Peter, and this is my second season as a coach with Team Orange in the FIRST Tech Challenge. My background is in mechanical engineering, and I’ve worked in program management, change management, and production improvement. I really enjoy supporting young learners as they explore robotics, teamwork, and creative thinking. Let’s build, learn, and have fun!

Jessika Szablewski

Hi! I’m Jessika, Evi’s mom and one of Team Orange’s coaches. I became involved in FTC in 2023 as a parent and started coaching Newman College FTC teams in 2024. The skills, ambition and enthusiasm that our team members demonstrate keep amazing me, and I love helping them reach their goals while learning a thing or two myself!

My academic background is in business administration/HR, but most of my work experience is in the social security field as a reintegration consultant and confidential advisor. As my skills include communication, networking, and coordinating group activities, my main goals are to support the team’s outreach activities, contribute to creating a positive environment for the team to work in, and to help out wherever I am needed.

Bart Goorden

Hello, I’m Bart, and I’m starting this year as coach for Team Orange!

After three years of coaching an FLL team, I’m excited to take the next step into FTC and support our team as we take on new challenges together. My focus will be on guiding the team through the technical aspects of the competition while encouraging creativity and teamwork.

I’m a proud father of four boys, with a background in mechanical engineering and mechatronics. Currently, I work as a lead design engineer at PAL-V, where innovation and problem-solving are part of everyday life. I look forward to sharing my experience, learning alongside the team, and seeing what we can achieve together this season.