For the first time in the 14-year history of Whitman’s robotics team, the Body Electric won a district event during competition season. Despite narrowly missing a spot at World Championships, their season still culminated in a historic victory.

The team finished the district event March 25 with an 8–4 record in their qualification matches and a 5–2 record in elimination rounds. At their last competition April 5–8, the Chesapeake District Championship, the team’s 6–6 record placed them 25th in overall season rankings, shutting them out of the top 24 teams that qualified for Robotics World Championships in St. Louis.

Though the Body Electric won’t be returning to Worlds, where they placed 35th of 75 teams in their division last year, senior Micaela Salmon reveled in their triumph at the district event.

“Being able to make something and then see it succeed and just having that feeling, you know you contributed to the win and you know that all of your hard work has finally paid off,” Salmon said. “It’s just so elating.”

The Body Electric also received the Entrepreneurship Award at the district competition for the adept business skills displayed in their team finance plan.

Team members agreed that The Body Electric significantly progressed as a team throughout the season, and they’re eager to build on their accomplishments next year.

“Since my first year, the robots have gotten more and more complex, but also more and more clear,” senior Grace Montagnino said. “It’s obviously an experience that we’re going to grow from.”