Double Victory at Robocup National Final

The world of robotics witnessed a thrilling showdown at the Robocup New Zealand National Final, and Saint Kentigern College emerged as the undeniable champions, bringing home not one but two national titles. Not your run-of-the-mill robotics competition, students are required to innovate, create, and, for some, find a dash of soccer rivalry to compete against teams from schools all around New Zealand.

Teams of students ranging from Year 9 to 13 gathered at St Cuthbert's College on 26 August. Armed with Lego Mindstorms, these young tech aficionados ventured into the realm of robotics to tackle one of two intriguing challenges – Soccer and Rescue.

The Nerd Herd clinched the coveted 1st place in the Premier Rescue category. Oliver McGuinness, Bernard Wang, Boaz Lin, and Chace Wang's robot navigated through a black-line maze, avoided obstacles, and successfully found the 'victim'. Saint Kentigern College took silver in the Senior Rescue category, as Technobot duo James Wang and Benjamin Berrington performed brilliantly on the day.

Not only did the College win 1st in the Rescue category, but additionally, That Random Person in the Corner team of one – Alex Cole, secured 1st place in the Soccer challenge. He built, coded, and navigated his robot to beat all his competitors in rounds of fully autonomous soccer games. Alex's dedication to robotics and triumph after three years of remote competitions is inspirational. The College also took 2nd place in this category with team Cheezy Cheezburger made up of Kai Wang, Leo Lu, Kaden Marzuki, and Ryan Wang.

These victories represent a diversely talented student body at the College, dedicated teachers, and months of hard work. Congratulations to our robotics teams for their creative problem-solving and rigour that have gained them national titles.