Every great program is defined not only by its competitions but also the creativity and determination of its students. We are proud to highlight Luke from Owego, who turned a technical challenge into a lasting contribution for his team—and for the sport at large.
From the Starting Line to Nationals
Luke joined the Owego Drone Soccer team in summer 2024, just a few weeks after it was formed. At the encouragement of his cross-country coach, who also coached the new drone soccer team, Luke decided to give it a try. Despite not having much flying experience, he quickly became one of the team’s essential members, focusing on technical repairs like soldering broken wires and circuit boards.
That dedication paid off. In their very first season, Owego placed first in the district and earned a spot at nationals, a remarkable achievement for such a young program.
Finding a Problem Worth Solving
While working on drone repairs, Luke noticed a recurring issue: batteries slipping loose during intense matches. Hard collisions at times could yank battery cables off the circuit board, leading to time-consuming soldering fixes and risky in-game failures. At first, the team tried solutions like Velcro straps and even double-sided tape, but the problem persisted.
“I realized that if we could keep the battery in place, we could avoid so many repairs,” Luke explained.
Prototyping a Better Battery Mount
With some prior 3D modeling experience, Luke set out to design a custom battery holder. His first version was basic, but he continued to refine it through rapid prototyping. To get the dimensions perfect, he even took a drone home for testing, making small adjustments after each tested iteration.
Over the course of ten different versions, Luke added some smart improvements:
- Raised sidewalls for better grip.
- A hole for the beta flight cable to stay accessible.
- Pre-drilled screw holes so the mount could attach using existing screws instead of glue.
The result? A secure, durable mount that dramatically reduced battery slip-outs. Since its adoption, the team has only seen one battery fall out (even then it was during an exceptionally hard hit that even the Velcro couldn’t withstand).
A Love for Technical Innovation
For Luke, the appeal of drone soccer goes beyond piloting. “My favorite part of the program is the technical side,” he shared. Whether it’s fine-tuning beta flight settings or engineering new solutions, the sport has provided him with countless opportunities to customize and innovate.
That spirit of innovation not only benefited his team but serves as a model for how students can use drone soccer as a platform for hands-on engineering and problem solving.
Looking Ahead
After graduation, Luke will attend SUNY ESF to study chemical engineering, but he hopes to continue supporting his high school drone soccer program. His story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when students are given the chance to experiment, create, and lead through technical challenges.
Luke’s battery mount may have started as a small fix for his team, but it has grown into something bigger: a symbol of the ingenuity and resilience that drone soccer fosters in students nationwide.
Download the free 3D printed file here and modify your drone today.