About the 'taters

We're a third year robotics team from St. George, Utah of seven avid potato enthusiasts who share a passion for learning, serving our community, and building robots! We compete through a program called the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), and spend the school year building, programming, and driving our robot, Spudnik.
During this journey we have often reflected back to what inspired our interest in STEM in the beginning, and realized it was all the community and mentor support we had growing up. Consequently we have made it a team priority to give back to the community that has given us so many opportunities and to inspire the youth in our community to begin their own journey in FIRST and STEM and not be afraid to take that first step.

Club

Community

Country | World
3
seasons
7
team members
800+
outreach hours
∞
potatoes
0
hours of sleep

About FIRST

With 34 cumulative years of FIRST between the 7 members of the PrestidigiTaters, we have each grown to love FIRST and have greatly benefited from it's programs and influence. FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Sciece and Technology, was founded by Dean Kamen in 1989 to give youth opportunities to discover the excitement and rewards of computer technology. With this goal in mind, four different programs directed at different age groups were born, creating an unlimited expanse of accessible programs to further the STEM pipeline initiative.

"FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is an amazing competition for students ready to take on high-school-level robotics. Students experience the power, excitement, and fun of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with hands-on, minds-on activities – all with robots! Teams of middle and high-school students design, build, and program robots with both autonomous and driver-controlled modes. They take these robots to local and regional tournaments, competing as Alliances against other teams. The tournaments feature the same excitement and pressure experienced in more traditional high-school athletics. Teams that win at the Championship level advance to the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship."
Wondering how you could get involved? Well it's easy! There are several ways you can get involved with FIRST and with our team! First things first... FIRST! There are multiple levels of FIRST robotics, including Jr FLL (ages 6-10), FLL (ages 10-14), and FTC & FRC (both are for high school students). It is easy to start your own team (Visit FIRST's Website for more information)! FIRST also other opportunities for people of any age or skill level; such as, judging, volunteering, etc.. If you would like more information on getting involved in FIRST please visit their website: Firstinspires.org. If you are interested in helping out our team, we've got you covered. Fans are always needed! Check out our calendar for upcoming competitions to cheer us on! Or become one of our greatly appreciated sponsors by checking out our sponsorship page! Go ahead and get involved!
po·ta·to | noun
/pəˈtādō/ 1. A starchy plant tuber that is one of the most important food crops, cooked and eaten as a vegetable
pres·ti·dig·i·ta·tion | noun
/ˌprestəˌdijəˈtāSHən/ 1. hand magic perfomed as entertainment; slight of hand

The name PrestidigiTaters combines prestidigitation and potatoes. We perform hand magic as we build and program our robot, Spudnik. At each of our meetings, we eat a potato-related-food, including everthing from mashed potato hummus to hashbrown pizza to spudnuts.

Not to mention, we are from St. George, Utah, home of the potato Saint, George Albert Smith, who was known as such because he told the early pioneers to eat potatoes to prevent getting scurvy.

Food for thought. Potato related, of course.

Meet the team

After many of us competed against each other in FLL for several years, we decided that we'd rather compete with each other instead. Our decision to come together as a team as friends first, then teammates, has made all the difference as we pool our individual strengths and work together to make our ideas come to life and make a difference in our community.

  • Bailee Allen

    Bailee is a 17 year old who attends the ACE Magnet program at SUCCESS Academy. She serves as the team captain and graphic designer for the PrestidigiTaters. She enjoys knitting socks, has bad knees, and loves to go birdwatching in her spare time. Bailee often claims that if she was to ever make a horcrux, the object would be the Engineering Notebook.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: spudnuts
    Strange Talent: Once went to school without a shoe

    Bailee Allen

    Team Captain

    McCade Larsen

    McCade attends Dixie High School as a 17 year old senior. He enjoys playing Dota and Rocket League with his cousin, Kason. He serves as the lead programmer for the PrestidigiTaters and hates to wear jeans. One of the greatest skills he’s brought the the team is his ability to drink seven glasses of chocolate milk in one sitting.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Potato Soup
    Strange Talent: Somehow responsible for all calamity in the universe whether present or not

    McCade Larsen

    Strategy Specialist

    Kason Peacock

    Kason is a 17 year old Senior who attends Desert Hills high. He is the chief driver and robotics engineer. He enjoys flying drones, 4-H, and Python programming. He likes to play Dota and Rocket League with his cousin, McCade. He is a firm believer that duct tape can fix anything.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Cheesy Potatoes
    Strange Talent: Finds a use for a hammer in every situation.

    Kason Peacock

    CAD Specialist

  • Dallin Bundy

    Dallin was first introduced to FIRST when he signed up for FLL in 7th grade. When looking for a high school program, low and behold his great neighbors had their own successful FTC team and were happy for him to join. FIRST has really shown him the possibilities of what you can do in life. In his free time he loves to read Epic Fantasy and Fiction books.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Tater Tots
    Strange Talent: Has never drank a full can of soda

    Dallin Bundy

    Treasurer

    Derek Sneddon

    As a gamer, programmer, writer and avid potato enthusiast, Sneddon hopes to continue learning STEM in his fourth year of robotics. He has been to the FIRST World Competition twice and competed multiple times in FIRST, gaining vast experience and skill in the art of robotics. He also has been mentoring an FLL camp and hopes to major in Computer Science.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
    Strange Talent: Writes novels

    Derek Sneddon

    Deputy

    Aubree Miller

    Aubree is a sophomore at Desert Hills High School who is an avid participant in the programming and science olympiad programs there. She is a teen leader in the Washington County 4-H teen council and represented 4-H at the Bay Area Maker Faire this year. She enjoys web design, family history, and computer programming.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Raw Potatoes
    Strange Talent: She's a girl in STEM

    Aubree Miller

    Secretary

  • Hunter Phillips

    Hunter is a freshman at Snow Canyon Middle school who began his FIRST adventure in FLL where he competed for four years. This is his first year with The PrestidigiTaters, during which he has contributed much to the team through his mad hardware skills and his proficiency in CAD programs such as OnShape.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Vegan Fry Sauce
    Strange Talent: Can actually stay on task for upwards of two hours

    Hunter Phillips

    Outreach Coordinator

    Spudnik

    After successfully being the first object in space, Sputnik retired to Russia but went into hiding in Ireland to avoid the KGB after offending the Kremlin. He became a huge fan of potatoes when they saved his village from certain doom during a famine. He was so touched by this miracle that he changed his name to Spudnik. After seeing a postcard of the Statue of Liberty, the concept of freedom inspired him and he emigrated to America, seeking a new life. Given his obvious love for technology and potatoes, and having performed a miraculous disappearing act escaping from the KGB, he was a perfect fit for the PrestidigiTaters. And they lived happily ever after.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: (spud)nuts and bolts
    Strange Talent: Defying gravity (not allowed in competition, unfortunately)

    Spudnik

    Retired Soviet Spacecraft

    Madi Allen

    Madi, the most infamous Spudnut cook in the west, was one of the founding members of the PrestidigiTaters in 2015. After serving as our team cook, mom, and team captain for two years, she is now serving the people of Leeds, England on her LDS mission.

    Favorite Potato Related Food: Spudnuts
    Strange Talent: Remembers everybody's birthday

    Madison Allen

    Retired Member

Photo Gallery

Thanks to our awesome mom-team, our adventures over the last few seasons have been well documented. Our photo gallery showcases many highlights from the past three seasons you definetly don't want to miss, featuring many intense games of slapjack, a pull-up competition on a moving train, and a rare glimpse of McCade wearing pants.

  • Thank You Friends!

    Lonnie and Leslie Truman
    Suzanne McFarlane
    Laura MacDonald
    Ron Starrs
    Star Sign and Banner
    Summit Athletic Club
    Dolores Heaton

  • Thank You Friends!

    Rick Smith
    Jordi, Jaylene, Ellie and Cami Pincock
    Binns Family
    Paul Hill
    Ross Walker
    Aunt Cynthia

  • Thank You Supporters!

    Hulet Plumbing
    Pete and Connie Hunt
    Girl's Go Digital

Sponsorship Levels

Showcase Sponsor

$5,000 +

Large Logo on T-Shirt, Robot, website and Banner, Industry Exclusivity, Personal Team T-Shirt(s), Robot Demonstration, Thank you Letter

Platinum Sponsor

$3,000 - $4,999

Large Logo on Website and T-Shirt, Medium Logo on Robot and Banner, Personal Team T-shirt(s), Robot Demonstration, Thank you Letter

Gold Sponsor

$1000 - $2,999

Medium Logo on Website, T-Shirt, and Robot, Small Logo on Banner, Personal Team T-shirt(s), Robot Demonstration, Thank you Letter

Silver Sponsor

$500 - $999

Medium Logo on website, Small Logo on T-shirt and Robot, Robot Demonstration, Personal Team T-shirt(s), Thank you letter

Bronze Sponsor

$250 - $499

Small Logo on Website and T-Shirt, Robot demonstration, Thank you letter

Supporter

$100 - $249

Small logo on website and t-shirt and thank you letter

Friend

Up to $99

Name on website and thank you tetter

Community Outreach

During the closing ceremonies of the Houston World Championships in April 2017, Dean Kamen, founder of FTC, encouraged teams to "Make FIRST Loud!" We have made it a team priority to pay it forward in our community and make the experiences we've had possible for the next generation of engineers, much of which takes place at the same events that inspired us when we were younger! If you'd like to request a robot demontration, we'd love to hear from you at hello@prestidigitaters.com.

4-H JR. FLL | FLL Events

As a 4-H sponsored team, we have made it a big priority to give back to the clubs and events that have taught us where we want to go and provided the resources needed to get there.

dixie4h.org

Open Calendar

Go to Top Wondering how you could get involved? Well it's easy! There are several ways you can get involved with FIRST and with our team! First things first... FIRST! There are multiple levels of FIRST robotics, including Jr FLL (ages 6-10), FLL (ages 10-14), and FTC & FRC (both are for high school students). It is easy to start your own team (Visit FIRST's Website for more information)! FIRST also other opportunities for people of any age or skill level; such as, judging, volunteering, etc.. If you would like more information on getting involved in FIRST please visit their website: Firstinspires.org. If you are interested in helping out our team, we've got you covered. Fans are always needed! Check out our calendar for upcoming competitions to cheer us on! Or become one of our greatly appreciated sponsors by checking out our sponsorship page! Go ahead and get involved!