Overlooked, Not Outmatched

Robotics can often be overlooked at MHS. They don’t have games that the community comes to, and they don’t get much recognition from outsiders, but truthfully, they are one of the most successful organizations at the high school. Fire Island Robotics continued to grow and learn throughout their 2025-26 season. 

In a season full of pressure, quick turnarounds, and constant problem-solving, the team’s greatest strength was its ability to stay connected. Their flexibility turned challenges into opportunities and allowed the team to keep moving forward, even when things didn’t go as planned.

This year’s robot stood apart from previous seasons in one major way: its software. The robot had a fully functional turret system, something the team had not done before. 

“Our software was a really big part of this year,” Kamryn said. “We had a turret with rotation and pitch adjustment, which was a challenge we had never done before. If we hadn’t had that turret, we wouldn’t have been able to do as much as we did on the field.”

This year also brought a new challenge, allowing robots to carry multiple game pieces at once for the first time in years. This resulted in a major strategy shift. 

“Since 2018, you could only hold one of the game pieces at a time,” Kamryn said. “This year, there was no limit, and most people tried to make their capacity as big as possible so they could shoot as much fuel into the hub in one go as possible.”

Their strategy depended heavily on the success of the turret system, which allowed the robot to operate effectively from anywhere on the field. After weeks of adjustments and troubleshooting, the team finally saw their hard work pay off in a moment that defined their season.

“I think the most exciting moment was when our turret started working as intended,” Kamryn said. “It had been moving not quite right, and with so many different variables that had to be so precise, it took a lot of work to get it right. Once it worked, there was a huge celebration.”

With the season coming to a close this past weekend, Fire Island Robotics looks back, knowing their success came from what they learned along the way. In the intricate world of robotics, success does not always end in a win, but it ends in knowledge being gained after every challenge they face.