By Kathryn Gentile
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
In late April, five students from Brookline, Wellesley, Newton, and Needham came together to participate in the VEX IQ Robotics World Championship. These students, also known as Team 6177D or the Pneumatic Krakens, had worked theirway up to this stage through a series of competitions, during which they showed off their STEM skills and knowledge through building, programming, and controlling their own robots in a series of games and competitions. 6177D started at the local level, competing against other teams and schools from the Massachusetts area, then moved onto the regional, national, and finally worldwide stage, facing off against over 400 teams from more than 50 countries. Against these insurmountable odds, the Pneumatic Krakens found themselves among the top 5 teams, in front of an audience of over 10,000 people, where they claimed the silver medal. Their win marks the Pneumatic Krakens as the first Massachusetts team to win a Division Championship at VEX Worlds, the first Massachusetts team to advance to the World Championship Final, and the first Massachusetts team to win a medal at these finals.
6177D is comprised of five students, Alexander Kaza, age 12, from Brookline, Mason Zhao, age 12, from Wellesley, Ella Wen, age 13, from Newton, Vincent Tang, age 12, from Wellesley, and Nathan Ye, age 12, from Needham. Each of them is new to this team but not to the VEX program. They participate in VEX IQ, a program focused on STEM education, through Robotfun Academy, located in Wellesley. Ella was the only member of the team who had been to Worlds before, with this year being her third time at the competition. While they all wanted to do well this year, Ella said they “never expected to get this far”. She also drew attention to the fact that 6177D is a “team effort; it would never have worked without all of us.”
“It’s your passion," said Alexander. The students come to Robotfun at least once a week to meet with each other and practice their skills, but most of them come multiple times a week to practice on their own. Students can come to Robotfun at any time to practice with the equipment in the space, which leads to students coming in early, leaving late, or spending their weekends improving their STEM and robotics skills. The students learn a lot from their work at Robotfun, but “it’s not just for awards and learning, but the community," said Vincent. At its core, the work they do at Robotfun is about teamwork and helping each other to improve.
To become world champions, Team 6177D first had to win their division, composed of 85 teams. Each team is made up of 4-6 students from different schools, states, and even countries. The top 5 divisions competed with each other in the “dome” for the finals, in front of an in-person audience of more than 10,000 people and even more watching at home. Mason watched last year’s World Championships on his own TV, and Alexander said he "fantasized" about being at Worlds himself someday. When they got there, the massive audience was nerve-racking, but “they were cheering for us!” said Nathan. “Everyone there had the same passion as us.” Standing on that stage, they could hear everyone, even rival teams, cheer them on from the sidelines and the audience. It was an experience unlike anything else and certainly encouraged them to try for the gold medal next year.
Each of the five members of team 6177D will be continuing with the VEX program in the future, though that future varies for each of them. Ella and Mason will be moving up to VEX V5, a program that focuses on LL0 metal robots and works with older students. Vincent, Nathan, and Alexander plan to stay with 6177D and take another shot at the World Championships. They all have places they’d like to improve their performance, but they think they have a clear shot at the gold medal next year. Vincent is already planning a new victory dance move for when they get on that stage.
