A Staples-based organization is going to super regionals; however, it is not the volleyball team, the basketball team nor the soccer team. In fact, the squad, which is made up of nine individuals, competes under a set of rules officiated by the First Tech Challenge, not the FCIAC. It is i2 robotics.

Pronounced as “i-squared robotics,” i2 is one of four robotics teams at Staples. Over February break, i2 went to Greens Farms Academy for the Connecticut state tournament and won as captain of the winning alliance. Essentially, alliances are pairs of two robotics teams which compete in tandems towards the latter stages of the tournament.

Phoebe Spear ’17, who joined the team just this year, was ecstatic about the state championship. “We put a lot of hours into the robot,” Spear said. “It is nice to see our hard work pay off.”

Because of the group’s success in States, it will move on to the super regional competition in Scranton, Pennsylvania on March 18 and 19. If i2 does well enough in Scranton, it will move directly to the World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri on April 27-30.

Peter Sauer ’16, a member of i2 for four years and a captain for three, believes that the squad will perform well if given the opportunity in April. “[We have] as good a chance as any,” Sauer said.

In addition to championship aspirations, the group is quite active in the local community. In fact, i2 worked to start a robotics team at Bassick High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“It was incredible and we have loved working with [Bassick] throughout the whole season,” Greg Preiser ’17, the team’s videographer and business coordinator said.

Comprised of four seniors, three juniors, one sophomore and one freshman, i2 is certainly staking its claim in the robotics community.