The tournament welcomed 67 teams to compete in an engineering challenge that was presented in the form of a game. Hamden Hall separated into two teams, 70258A and 70258B. This year’s game was called “Push Back,” where teams had to move the red or blue blocks into any of the four goals located around the field. In alliances, the teams competed in matches consisting of a 15-second autonomous period, followed by a one minute and 45 second driver controlled period. Points were awarded for each block scored, a lower or upper controlled center goal, a parked robot, and an autonomous bonus. 

The 70258A team ranked 10th after the qualifying round with five wins and one loss. For the elimination matches, the team selected their alliances and ranked five out of 16 to make it to the quarterfinal round. Mr. Link shared that the team will now compete in the Masuk VEX V5 Robotics Qualifier at Masuk High School on December 13. The event is a qualifier for the Connecticut State Championship.

Senior Andrei Balas shared some insights on how the team prepared for the competition. Prior to the season, he said the team members separate themselves into distinct roles with unique objectives, such as practicing driving or improving the consistency of a specific mechanism. Once the roles are chosen, the team meets to build the robot and to discuss and work each day after school to constantly adjust and readjust their approach in the face of challenges. Additionally, the teammates record what things went well and what things did not. 

As a team, they watch previous matches that feature teams they will eventually compete against to see how they can effectively counter their strategies while also discovering who they would prefer to have an alliance with during the elimination rounds. 

With the evolution of Robotics as a sport with the rigors of science and technology, Andrei explained why he participates in Robotics and why it is special to him. 

“Robotics has acted as an opportunity to combine such a variety of interests that appeal to me: physics and engineering is needed to construct the robot, computer science is needed to code the robot, graphic design is needed to maintain an online engineering journal, and leadership skills are essential in order to capitalize on each team member’s strengths,” he said. “In robotics, I can be drawing a mechanism one day and be developing strategies with a fellow team member another, always applying skills from the classroom to the real world.”