South’s VEX Robotics team, Tomm-E, has made history, securing a spot at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas, on May 6, sophomore competitor and member of the Tomm-E team Emaad Majeed said.
After qualifying at the VEX State Championship, the team has qualified for the World stage for the first time in South’s history, Majeed explained. The farthest the South’s robotics team has ever progressed is until the State competition, but never past that, Majeed explained.
“It’s really exciting to qualify for the World’s tournament because South’s team has [never] gotten this far before,” Majeed said.
This year’s VEX Robotics challenge, High Stakes, was at Rich Township High School. The teams were tasked with maneuvering rings around the gym to score points, Majeed explained.
“[Every year] the game changes, so we had to study it carefully and develop a strategy,” Majeed said. “This year’s game was particularly challenging because it was unlike any other game we’ve played before.”
South’s robot, designed to efficiently pick up rings and place them onto a conveyor system, helped them advance through regionals at South and ultimately qualify for Worlds.
The team also claimed the Virtual Skills State Champion title and is currently ranked seventh in the world in this category out of 70 teams, Justin Zummo, VEX robotics coach and Career and Technical Education teacher said. He expressed his excitement about the team’s strong performance in the competition.
“I have been coaching VEX Robotics since 2016, and it has been a long road that has led us to this level of success,” Zummo said. “I have never been more proud professionally of what we have accomplished.”
With Worlds on the horizon, the team is preparing for its biggest competition yet, Zummo said. As May approaches, Tomm-E and their fellow competitors are fine-tuning their robot and strategy, ready to take on the world stage in Dallas, Texas, Zummo explained.
“I am just extremely proud of all our students and I’m honored that we get to compete at Worlds this year, and I can not wait to see what the team can accomplish,” Zummo said.