Their combined success secures their spots in the next tier of competition, the Super Qualifiers. 

The competitive season centers on a fast-paced two-and-a-half-minute match. The main goal is to pick up colored objects (Artifacts) and place them in team-designated scoring areas, while also launching those objects in specific color patterns to earn bonus points. 

Team 9371, General Relativity, was a top contender on Saturday. Their unique catapult mechanism helped them finish 4th out of 30 teams. As the 3rd Alliance Captain, their run to the semi-finals and a second-place Innovate Award secured them enough critical points under the new advancement system to qualify for the Super Qualifier on February 28. 

Team 9372, Standard Model, had a dominant Sunday. Finishing 3rd in qualifications, they went on to win the entire tournament as the 3rd Alliance Captain. They demonstrated incredible resilience by beating the 1st-seeded alliance twice in the double-elimination finals, earning the necessary points to advance them to the Super Qualifier on March 1. 

This double advancement highlights the students’ creativity and strategic thinking. The season is just heating up, and we are eager to see what happens next. 

The excitement continues as two more teams, 4174 Atomic Theory and 11453 Uncertainty Principle, compete on December 21.