Whether it’s on a page or the big screen, every great underdog story starts with an unlikely bunch breaking expectations and beating the odds. On Mar. 14, MN’s own underdogs did just that as two freshman robotics teams fought side-by-side to earn a spot in the VEX Robotics World Championship.

The championship, held in Dallas, Texas from May 6-8, brings together the best and brightest teams from across the globe. According to the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, there are more than 20,000 teams worldwide, yet only about 850 get to compete at the top.

For the freshmen behind Havøc, one of Millard North’s rookie teams, qualifying for Worlds was an incredible accomplishment. However, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

“Being a team of all freshmen with little prior experience in high school robotics, the start of the season came with a very steep learning curve,” freshman Havøc coder Daniel Velasco said.

Part of this learning curve is adjusting to the annually-changing games.

Each year at the world championship, VEX Robotics unveils the game for the following season. Veteran teams spend months planning and adapting to the game before competitions even begin, while freshman teams start from scratch.

Adjusting to robotics isn’t just learning the game, but also adapting to the competition. Still, this didn’t stop these freshmen from rising to the challenge.

“We improved rapidly throughout the season, beating out some of the best teams in the state multiple times,” Velasco said.

Havøc’s steady climb paid off as they arrived at the Nebraska State V5 Championship. Their skill set, matched with their determination, put them in a comfortable position during the state tournament, and their place in VEX Worlds was seemingly secured.

Meanwhile, MN’s other freshman team, Lord of the Rings, began their robotics season with low expectations. They were completely unfamiliar with the game and competitions, and they improved solely through a trial-and-error process.   

“It usually takes a full season or one year to develop the skills to be competitive and figure out what works and what doesn’t,” robotics sponsor Jeff Brady said.

Due to the time needed to acclimate to tournaments, becoming competitive as a first-year team is notoriously difficult to do.

“Even winning a single award was gonna be an accomplishment this season,” freshman driver and builder of Lord of the Rings Cale Hemje said. “But then we went way beyond that.”

Nonetheless, the Lord of the Rings team quickly became adept contestants in the game. Both freshman teams began to rack up wins and beat out multiple top teams, making their mark in the state competition.

When the Nebraska State V5 Championship rolled around, both Havøc and Lord of the Rings were seeded in the top ten and were expected to qualify for the world championship. Havøc toppled the competition in each match, maintaining their spot amongst the top teams.

Lord of the Rings, on the other hand, had hit a wall. Already seeded at the lower end of the top ten, the stakes to hold their position were high. Then, a loss of transmission with their robot left them unable to control it, forcing game reruns and multiple lost matches.

While Havøc sat safely in their qualifying position, Lord of the Rings had dropped down far below the cutoff.

“The hard part was staying positive and just looking ahead as a group instead of blaming people,” Hemje said.

With tensions running high, the struggling freshmen poured their efforts into one last shot–qualification rounds.

In these final matches, top teams select an ally to compete with side-by-side for a spot in the championship. Havøc–already secured in their ranking–chose Lord of the Rings to be their partner.

By allying with Lord of the Rings, Havøc rekindled a partnership that had won them a tournament earlier in the season.

“We knew we were a pretty good combo going into state, because the communication is definitely there,” Hemje said.

Despite not being favored to win the partnered rounds, the sister teams ended up trouncing their opponents, and Lord of the Rings found themselves climbing their way back into the bracket.

By the end of the tournament, Havøc and Lord of the Rings were two of only ten teams from Nebraska–and two of just seven teams from MN–to make the VEX Robotics World Championship.

“We were certainly not expected to make Worlds this year, because it’s our freshman year and we don’t have the experience,” Hemje said. “However, we did pull it off, and we were instantly happy with the season.”

While an MN team making the world championship is nothing new, Hemje emphasized that two freshman teams rising to the occasion is an impressive milestone rarely seen in robotics.

With the World Championship coming up soon, MN’s freshman teams gear up, not only competing to represent MN, but to showthe world what the word “rookie” really means.