Teamwork, creativity, and diligence are all important qualities for an organization to thrive, especially an intricate and meticulous one like robotics. Luckily, our school’s team was able to take these characteristics and bring them to Rockland Community College, where the annual FIRST Robotics Hudson Valley Regional Competition was held. All of the countless hours spent after school significantly paid off, allowing Brewster High School’s CyBearBots to finally showcase all the hard work they put into building a successful, innovative robot to take on the competition.

The FIRST Hudson Valley Regional competition took place from March 19-21, marking the first competition of the season for the team. There were 48 robotics teams in total at the competition, most being from New York but a couple from places outside the region like Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, China, and Türkiye. Every team was dressed up with themed costumes, giving out unique pins and stickers, and was plenty full of spirit going into the competition. The first day consisted of a series of practice matches, allowing the teams to work out any issues in order to be successful in the real competition that would take place the next two days. This day was also an opportunity to scout the abilities of the other robots, as the team would have to work with or against them on the following days.

The second and third day of the tournament is when the competition started to heat up. After arriving at RCC bright and early once again, the CyBearBots had to get ready for the matches that lay ahead. Over the course of the next two days, there were 80 qualification matches that each lasted 2 and a half minutes; every team at the competition played around 10 each. Though a few hiccups occurred during the matches and throughout the days, the CyBearBots were able to take them on and prevail, finishing with a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.

Nevertheless, the competition was not over yet, especially for our team. After all of the qualification matches wrapped up on the third day, playoffs were on the horizon. The top eight teams, based on their performance, each had the opportunity to invite two other teams to form alliances for the playoff rounds. In many past seasons, the CyBearBots, like so many other talented teams, would finish their journey at this stage, but this year was different. It became a truly special milestone for us, as we were honored to be selected as the first pick by the 8th-ranked team. That moment gave us the chance to continue competing and step into the excitement of playoffs together.

After the second round of draft picks, the teams had a few moments to work with their alliances to establish a strategy for the upcoming matches. Through strong collaboration, brainstorming, and focused planning, our alliance entered the first playoff match ready to go against the #1 seed, led by the undefeated RoboTigers. While the match proved challenging and resulted in a loss, the team remained determined, knowing the double-elimination format offered another path forward, a possible second opportunity to make it to the finals.

After some time to regroup, the CyBearBots’ alliance delivered a much stronger performance in the second playoff match, allowing them to advance to the following round in the lower bracket. This next match started off strong, with our alliance remaining highly competitive with the opposing one. However, in the last couple of seconds, some errors were made, sadly costing the match. Although the final moments didn’t go our way, the effort, resilience, and teamwork on display were clear highlights of the competition.

Though it was unfortunate how we closed out the Hudson Valley Regional, the competition was a powerful reminder of the club’s growth and progress. The CyBearBots earned an impressive 4th place finish out of 8 alliances and ranked 14th out of 48 teams overall, an achievement that marks significant progress compared to past seasons. This milestone reflects the team’s ability to overcome adversity and grow stronger through each experience. Now, as Team 7504 prepares for their next competition, the New York Tech Valley Regional in Albany, they carry forward valuable lessons, increased confidence, and a strong drive to keep improving, setting the stage for an exciting and competitive performance.