This past weekend, Hingham High School’s Robotics team, the Hammerheads, competed in the New England District Championship. After many months of hard work and dedication, their season ended in a great success — winning the Gracious Professionalism award being a highlight of the championship weekend.
After two stellar performances at their previous competitions, which were held at the University of Rhode Island and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Hammerheads qualified for the District Championship in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was an outstanding feat in its own right, as high school teams all across New England fight for a spot to make it to Springfield. This was the team’s first time competing in Districts since 2018. Then, the 96 best teams in New England competed. They finished with a record of 6-6, and would win a playoff game on top of that. Finishing 24 out of the 48 teams in their section is a great accomplishment and a sign for what is to come for the team in the future.
This triumph would not have been possible without the outstanding work by the team’s captains. The hours that went into designing, building, coding, and testing the robot certainly paid off. Violet Palmer, a captain of the Hammerheads team, recalled, “My experience at districts was phenomenal. This was the first time I had ever been to the competition and I had so much fun.” She later went on to state, “I hope the team aims to make it to Districts next year as well and do even better than we did this year!” The success from this past season will be used as momentum for next season and the seasons to come. Tori Dell, also a captain of the team, shared their highlight of the weekend, as they stated, “The highlight of the weekend (for me) was simply being there in that space, as it was the first time we made it to Districts in a while. Being there in that space made it feel like we had made it in a way.”
Although being accepted into the competition was incredible on its own, they would also have an exceptional performance while they were there. This excellence would be demonstrated through winning the Gracious Professionalism award. This honor is given to the team that demonstrates the core values of FIRST, the non-profit organization that runs tournaments like these. These values include fairness, humility, positivity, and respect. These traits have embodied what the team has strived for all season long and what they hope to stand for in the future.
The future is bright for the Hammerheads robotics team!
