Korah team, two Missarenda brothers, off to World Robotics Competition

SooToday has received an update from the Sault’s Jonathan Budau, Superior Heights physics teacher and local VEX Robotics Competition organizer, after the secondary school level provincial VEX Robotics Championships in St. Catharines.

“Lone Wolf has done it. They are off to the World Championships for VEX Robotics.”

Lone Wolf, a team of Korah students, was the top northern team.

“In the exciting finals matchup, the Lone Wolf Alliance faced a powerhouse Alliance of the Lancebotics from Toronto, Team Winston from St. Catharines and Brampton’s Viking Robotics – B. However, Lone Wolf’s squad was unstoppable, and fought hard to win, taking home the gold medal as the top Teamplay performance. This is the highest finish ever by a northern Ontario team at this level of competition,” Budau wrote in an email to SooToday.

During the final awards presentations, Budau was given the Provincial ‘Volunteer Of The Year’ award, in recognition for his efforts to create a district program that now has the largest per capita participation of any robotics program in Canada, and possibly the world.

“To top off the evening awards, the Excellence Award for overall tournament winner in all performance and judging categories combined, and the highest award given at this event, was Lone Wolf Robotics, who now hold the title of top robotics team in Ontario,” Budau reported.

Lone Wolf will join brothers Chase and Hunter Martel from Missarenda Consolidated Public School (in Missanabie), who earned a World Championships invitation in last weekend’s VEX IQ provincial elementary event, and will mark the first time that any northern team has earned a world invitation at either VEX robotics division. 

The World VEX Championships will take place in Louisville, Kentucky from April 23 to 29.