Whose Yard? More like, Who IS Yard?

You may look at our number and wonder, “A team from the 2000s? Where did they come from?” And to answer that question, we must dig a little deeper into Boneyard’s history. So, please remain seated while the camera is in motion, because we’re going way back…to before the beginning.

The year is 2007, and a humble group of high-schoolers and educators form what would someday be known as Team 2642—Pitt Pirates Robotics—the first and only FRC team in Pitt County. But being the only high school robotics team in Pitt County would become a problem in a few years. As interest in FIRST ramped up, and Pitt Pirates became more known to the community, more and more kids would flock to Open House in September, hoping for a spot on the team. And in 2015, when interest hit triple digits, the mentors knew they had to change things up.

Enter Team 2682. From Recycle Rush (2015) to Infinite Recharge (2021), Boneyard Robotics made its name known in every county and competition they entered. As one of the loudest teams during competitions, they won several Spirit Awards for cheering, even with other teams. But they weren’t just known for being “rowdy in Dowdy.” From their establishment of the Quiet Rooms in 2018 to their outreach and advocacy for autism awareness, Boneyard lived up to their motto that “everyone is welcome in the Boneyard,” and strived to make STEM available to underserved parts of their community. In 2019, their efforts earned them the Chairman’s Award Finalist (Now known as the FIRST Impact Award) at the World Championship in Houston, Texas—one of the highest achievements of any NC team yet.

But in 2021, COVID-19 finally caught up with the young team. In order to keep FIRST in Pitt County, mentors made the tough decision to assimilate Boneyard back into Pitt Pirates. But their impact was not forgotten. Today, Quiet Rooms are accessible at every FIRST event in the world. And as the years went by, more and more people asked when or if Boneyard would ever return.

And in 2026, they did. After striking their colors in 2025, a handful of mentors and students from the retiring Pitt Pirates team advocated for the return of Boneyard Robotics. Months of planning and hard work went into keeping STEM a staple in Pitt County, but we couldn’t have been happier to re-introduce team 2682 back onto NC fields. But as the popular FIRST slogan goes, “It’s not about the robot.”

During their first year back as a team, Boneyard maintained their presence at Freeboot Fridays, Science Olympiad, and local STEM nights for elementary schools and underrepresented groups, keeping the message of FIRST alive in their community. They started an afterschool STEM program at Elmhurst Elementary, began a program called STEMceptional Children, and hosted FLL and FTC tournaments at their local high schools. This season alone, Boneyard has spread STEM education to over 3,000 people and given over 788 volunteer hours. Their efforts earned them the Engineering Inspiration Award at both the district and state levels, qualifying them to compete for the FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas, where they went 7-3-0 against some of the top teams in the world.

And who knows where they’ll go next?

So… Whose Yard?