On March 9, Lexington High School’s robotics team 2 Bits and a Byte won first place at the First Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics State Competition, qualifying for the Worlds tournament.
During the competition, 2 Bits and a Byte participated in multiple qualification matches and conducted a live presentation to judges. After a great deal of preparation, the team won the Inspire award, making them one of two teams that qualified for the world championship.
“Everything is very unpredictable, which is why competition days are very stressful, but they can be very rewarding by the end of the day,” Bianca Zhang, a senior and captain of the team, said.
The group focuses on hands-on participation, so that students are able to gain experience and get an in-depth understanding of robotics through the team.
“You get a lot of opportunities when being on the team, like getting to connect with professionals in the field and talk to companies,” Leena Dey, a junior and captain of the team, said.
Preparation for the competition was difficult to manage, as it required intense communication and collaboration between team members during a short period of time.
“From the perspective as a co-captain, it’s hard to manage a giant team of people of varying experiences and try to ensure that everyone is both learning and making significant progress,” Dey said.
Despite the challenges, the team’s successes have led them to qualify for Worlds for the first time in five years. Worlds, which took place for five days over April break, is an even more demanding competition where the team will compete against 224 teams.
“It’s about representing not only yourself but also your school and state at the competition,” Srivatsan Ramanujam, a senior and captain of the team, said.
Although the competition presents a number of challenges, the team is united by their passion for robotics. At the end of the day, team members believe robotics is not only about winning the most awards—it is about learning, team bonding, and having a good time.
“You get to have your own little space inside the school where you can just have fun, make stuff—it’s basically a creative outlet,” Ramanujam said.
