The WMC Robotics team is headed to Texas! After winning the 2023 Vex Robotics State competition they will be traveling west to tackle the Vex Robotics Worlds Competition. The team will be in Dallas for 4 days, April 24th – April 28th.
Going into this competition, the team wanted to build a “legacy.” The robotics program was founded 11 years ago, and this is the first year without former legendary robotics teacher Mr Tackacs who retired last year. Pranav Diddi, who is not only WMC’s best morning announcer but also a main part of the robotics program, provided some insight as to what it means to build a legacy. “One of our teams, known as Legacy, is composed of mostly seniors. They had a goal in the beginning which was proposed by our former robotics advisor, Mr. Tackacs, which was to leave a legacy behind for the club’s future generations. They accomplished in setting a stage for the next generation of roboticists and passed down essential skills and knowledge that the new students will continue to hone and improve.”
So what exactly is the legacy they so badly want? The short answer: success. Over the past two years of this program, they’ve made history going further and further each time. At the start of their year, the team met to discuss their “lofty goals. ” with Diddi saying “one of the goals was to qualify for the World Championships. So, we reached our lofty goal in the end!” When they got to the state tournament and started going through their routine, they had a sneaking suspicion that maybe they had a chance to qualify for worlds. Pranav talked about their chances by saying “we had a feeling that we may have a chance at being qualified with a strong strategy.” He continued,“It is all about reaching a certain rank that will progress us towards the qualification to states or worlds. Thus, you would see most of us really serious during the tournaments as we attempt to perform the best in the matches.”
At the end of the tournament, West Morris got enough points to qualify for Worlds. For the first time in school history, they will be competing on the national stage. Diddi described their excitement with a smile on his face saying “We felt really happy and ecstatic when hearing that we made it to the World Championship. We all were jumping, screaming, and hugging each other! The club has been here for eleven years and for the first time ever, we made it to worlds. So, all of the effort, determination, and will we had throughout these years paid us off here.” The framework for the legacy has been established. Success has become a normal part of their program. Now it will be up to future teams to continue this legacy.
The WMC robotics team gathered in front of the Robosource.net Dinosaur holding their “Legacy” robot.
