On January 10, 2026, the Bobcat Robotics team kicked off their 27th season at South Windsor High School, paving the way for another great year.
The kickoff happening at South Windsor High School was one of hundreds occurring around the globe as robotics teams tuned into a livestream that revealed the year’s theme, which was largely centered around archaeology.
Teams had to design their robots to score points by depositing fuel into their respective hubs, climbing towers, and earn different ranking points by meeting different thresholds and criteria.
In the first twenty seconds of the match, robots were self-driven, or autonomous, and in the final two minutes and twenty seconds, the robots were driven by operators in tele-op mode.
One of the Bobcat Robotics advisors and South Windsor High School teacher, Ms. Tyler, shared her opinion on the event.
“I thought the new game was really interesting and that it was kind of building on past challenges and taking elements from previous years,” Tyler said.
Tyler’s callback to previous Robotics years was also picked up on by numerous Robotics mentors and alumni, who saw similarities that might give the team an advantage this year.
Current Robotics members provided their opinions on this year’s annual kickoff event as well.
“I would say kickoff was really good,” sophomore Veer Rupani told The Prowl. “We learned about the new game and we discussed future solutions and we planned out what we can do to prepare for future competitions.”
Other Robotics members did not share the same enthusiasm for the event as Rupani.
“It was very hyped, everyone was excited, but I was kind of disappointed it wasn’t as good as last year’s kickoff,” junior Fatimah Majid said.
Last year, the season’s game was Reefscape, focusing heavily on ocean-based themes. Robots could score by placing coral on a tiered reef, moving algae to either a processor or net, and climbing a cage at the end.
Despite the disappointment felt by some on the Robotics team, there was still more to look forward to this season.
“I’m excited for 429’s second year,” Majid said.
Team 429 is a second robotics team operating within South Windsor High School specifically for the freshmen. It was created to alleviate the number of students on Team 177, the main robotics team at South Windsor High School.
The team name draws from the error code 429, meaning “Too many requests.” In the case of the Robotics team, they put a spin on the phrase, calling it “Too many Bobcats.”
“It’s good. It’s still pretty new, so we have to build up our skills and experience. We could benefit [Team 177] later on,” freshman and Team 429 member Aarav Mahesh shared.
As the year progresses, Bobcat Robotics will have much to look forward to as they prepare for upcoming competitions and continue to immerse members of Team 429 into the field of robotics, ultimately setting the team up for yet another year of success.
