Robotics Team Completes Season with a Successful Trip to World Championships

The robotics team composed of Hendrick Hudson students Nick Lowy, Matthew Mason, Max Parker and Braxton Shoults recently completed a busy season of competitions at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas. The team, Refraction, placed 30th in the world out of over 800 teams and eighth in a division of 83.

The team began its journey in September and has since created four different iterations of its robot. That effort resulted in 11 different awards earned in competition, highlighted by the Excellence Award at VEX Robotics New York State Championship.

The award automatically earned Refraction a berth in the World Championships, which were held last month in Dallas.

“The Excellence Award is given to the overall top team,” the description said. “It is the highest honor given out in the VEX Robotics Competition. The recipient of this award is a team that exemplifies overall excellence in creating a high-quality VEX robotics program. This team excels in many areas and is a shining example of dedication, devotion, hard work, and teamwork. As a strong contender in numerous award categories, this team deserves to be recognized for building a quality robotics program and a team commitment to quality in everything that they do.”

This was the second straight year the team has competed in the World Championships. Although not a sanctioned club, the team has been sponsored by several local businesses and organizations, including the Hendrick Hudson Community Educational Foundation and CertainTeed, one of Hendrick Hudson’s community partners.

The team, which competes head-to-head against other teams during competitions, completed the season with a record of 69-21-3.