From battling bots to bustling crowds, Belmont Hill’s inaugural Vex Robotics Tournament was a huge success. Under the lights of the Jordan Athletic Center, 24 teams competed for victory. This year’s Vex robotics challenge, the Over Under challenge, was a game that centered around getting as many “tri-balls”(triangle-shaped balls) under the opponent’s net while keeping them out of your own. While complex, this task gave space for creativity, ingenuity, and strategy building.
The event began with a few practice matches to test the robots and make any minor adjustments. Then, the teams went straight into the qualifying matches, which ultimately decided their seeds for the bracket stage of the tournament. The first qualifying matches were entertaining and educational, as many of the teams could finally see what the other teams were doing with their robots. These matches lasted for the majority of the day, and after they ended, teams began the bracket stage of the tournament. In this stage, the top teams in the qualifying match of the tournament could choose their alliance partners, with whom they would be teamed for the remainder of the tournament with the goal of winning the bracket. Competitors carefully chose their alliances by consulting with other teams and determining whether or not their robots would work well together. Once teams had been formed, the quarter-finals began: a showcase of the strategies developed by different alliances. The semifinal matches were just as exhilarating as the matches prior, with them being more competitive and high-scoring. The finals exemplified how two teams prevailed and pulled ahead of the rest with their effective strategy and robot. The teams that won were “Soar” from Lexington and “Olympus” from Milton Academy.
While performing below their high standards with the Upper School team dropping out of the tournament in the quarter-finals, the Belmont Hill robotics teams at this competition learned a lot. They aim to improve for future tournaments with the ultimate goal of qualifying for Regionals and Worlds. The Upper School team captain, Connor Emmert ‘25, says, “The tournament was a good test, but we still have a lot to work on if we want to qualify for any other tournaments.” Overall, thanks to the hard work of Mr. Ziff, Ms. Allen, who gave commentary throughout the day, and many more faculty members, the tournament was a well-organized and fun event.
