ShoreBots earn runner-up finish, engineering award at Chesapeake Competition

The ShoreBots Team 1908, Northampton High School’s robotics team, delivered a strong performance this past weekend at the FIRST Chesapeake District Competition held at Hickory High School, earning a runner-up finish and a prestigious judged award.

Competing in Week 3 of the district season, the ShoreBots battled through a challenging qualification round, finishing 13th out of 30 teams. Their performance earned them a spot in the playoffs, where they were selected as the first pick of Alliance 2.

Teaming up with Alliance Captain Team 4099, The Falcons of Poolesville, Maryland, and Team 6326, Baltimore Bolts of Baltimore, Maryland, the ShoreBots surged through the playoff rounds. The alliance won all three of its matches to advance to the finals.

In the championship round, the alliance faced tough competition and ultimately dropped two matches, finishing the event as runners-up.

Beyond their on-field success, Team 1908 also captured the Engineering Inspiration Award, a major honor recognizing teams that promote respect and appreciation for engineering within their school and community.

Team members credited their outreach efforts on the Eastern Shore for the recognition, including demonstrations featuring their “skillet throwing” robot at the annual Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Fair, as well as community engagement events at their workshop.

At the conclusion of the event, the ShoreBots were ranked among the top teams by Statbotics, placing:

• #7 out of 72 teams in Virginia
• #12 out of 119 teams in the Chesapeake District (D.C., Maryland, Virginia)
• #243 out of 2,976 teams in the United States
• #300 out of 3,768 teams worldwide

The team is led by senior captain Abby Zodun and co-captain Grayson Brown. Other members include seniors Reid Travis, Tempie Stamer, and Weylin Malik; sophomore Brycen Joseph; and rookie member, eighth grader Bear McCormick.

The ShoreBots program is supported by a number of local and regional sponsors, including NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Northampton County Public Schools, ACE Hardware Exmore, Modern Hoopla, the Gene Haas Foundation, Northampton County, and Eastern Shore Signs.

Founded 21 years ago by mentors Rodney Walker and the late James Goldstine, the program has grown into a cornerstone of STEM education on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Team members paid tribute to Goldstine, noting, “This one’s for Jim.”

With their strong showing, the ShoreBots have qualified for the FIRST Chesapeake District Tournament, scheduled for April 9–12 at Virginia State University. The event will feature the top 54 teams in the district. Heading into the final week of qualifying competition, Team 1908 holds the third-highest rank in the district.