Viewpoint Middle School Robotics Students Shine at VEX IQ Winter Ball 2025
Viewpoint Middle School Robotics Students Shine at VEX IQ Winter Ball 2025
Viewpoint’s Middle School Robotics program made an impressive showing at the VEX IQ Winter Ball 2025 competition, held on Saturday, January 18, at Monroe High School in North Hills. Competing against 34 other teams from across the region, three of Viewpoint’s four teams advanced to the finals.
“Considering that our teams hadn’t touched their robots or practiced in about a month due to winter break and fire closures, they did an amazing job,” said Michael Lombardi, Middle School Computer Science and Robotics Teacher. “This being our first external competition of the year made it even more impressive.”
This year’s competition featured a game called “Rapid Relay,” where teams designed robots to pass squishy, soccer-like balls to a partner robot and launch them into a goal. Instead of competing directly against each other, teams were ranked based on their performance in six to eight matches, with each match pairing them with a different partner team.
“Robotics is a process,” Lombardi explained. “It’s not about perfection but about constant improvement and teamwork.”
Viewpoint’s Middle School Robotics program has seen tremendous growth this year, expanding to 16 teams. The VEX IQ Winter Ball 2025 provided students with an opportunity to showcase their skills and collaborate with other teams from local schools and private organizations.
"Participating in the VEX IQ Competition helped me and my teammates grow as collaborators, teaching us the importance of working together and adapting to challenges to reach a common goal, I wouldn't be in Robotics Club if it wasn't for Mr. Lombardi, Ms. Daniel, and Mrs. Rush: they are the best teachers I could ask for," shared Leia Zucker-Petersson ’29.
“They’ve come back bursting with ideas for how to improve their robots,” Lombardi shared. “The competition has sparked a whole new level of enthusiasm.”
The participating Viewpoint teams included:
- Team 88Z: Dragon Chang ’30, Weston Vacca ’30, Nathan Lau ’30
- Team 88Y: Leia Zucker-Petersson ’29, Rinya Dilg ’29, Asher Hakakha ’29, Dempsey Palmer ’29
- Team 88R: Johnny Robinson ’29, Freddy Tang ’29, Keith Halcovich ’29
- Team 88V: Ronnie Tian ’29, Ryan Gaspar ’29
Congratulations to our Middle School Robotics program on their impressive achievement! Up next, Viewpoint Robotics heads to the VEX IQ Valentine’s Extravaganza on February 15, with five teams set to compete.