Send the Snowflakes to the World Championships!

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The St. Chris Snowflakes are a robotics team based at St. Christopher School, Letchworth. In September of 2023, a group of like-minded individuals with passions in maths, physics engineering and design set about competing in their first ever VEX VRC season: Over-Under.

VEX VRC is widely regarded as the most competitive academic competition that students can enter, with the world championship breaking records for the largest robotics competition ever (Guiness World Records), and the intense heat of the competition forging life-long skills that can be applied to all paths of life.

The Snowflakes started with no experience, attending competition after competition, improving their design after every step, set on one goal: a qualification to nationals.

When the Snowflakes got the opportunity to attend a regional competition in Whickham School, Newcastle, they, with a new design, competed at a very high standard breaking their previous score record multiple times. Reaching the finals, they narrowly missed the win. However, their impressive performance in the team interview; their maintained positive attitude towards their competitors and the judges; and an impressive engineering notebook meant that they took home both the Excellence an Design Award, with the former qualifying them to the UK National Championship.

Upon returning, the Snowflakes began to focus ahead to the upcoming UK National Championship; with time being devoted to a brand new, even more competitive, robot design - as well as improving their already impressive engineering notebook.

When nationals came around, the team headed of in their characteristic pink hoodies to the Telford International Centre. With their new robot, they managed to achieve an impressive 11th out of 32 teams in their division’s qualifiers - as well as an amazing 6th out of 64 in robot skills (personal challenges). The team maintained a positive attitude throughout the whole event, impressing all of the different award’s judges with their fluency and ability to demonstrate an effective design process. After being knocked out of the eliminators by the soon-to-be tournament finalists, the team still kept their positive attitude, supporting teams and cheering from the stands.

When it came to the giving out of awards, the team was awarded the much sought after Design Award, one of the most valued awards and a great achievement in the UK Nationals; it secured the Snowflakes one of the few guaranteed spots in the World Championship. The team was later told that they were the first choice for all 10 judged awards due to their interviews, as well as their positive attitude and incredible logbook.