The Oceanside High School Robotics Club captured second place at a cardboard boat competition hosted by Long Beach High School on Dec. 22, showcasing teamwork, creativity and engineering skill against neighboring schools.
The event brought together robotics clubs from Cold Spring Harbor and Long Beach middle and high schools for a hands-on challenge that required students to design, build and race boats constructed entirely of cardboard and tape. Strict guidelines limited materials and construction methods, pushing teams to rely on problem solving and collaboration.
Oceanside’s entry, aptly named “What’s Kraken,” stood out for both its speed and durability. The entire Robotics Club participated in the design and construction process, testing multiple ideas before settling on a final build. The result was the most seaworthy vessel in the competition, surviving four full rounds in the water — more than any other boat.
Oceanside students Max Goodman and Faith Gelfond piloted “What’s Kraken” during the races. Robotics Club coach Brandon Crofts also climbed aboard, a requirement of the competition Despite the added obstacle, the team recorded the second-fasted overall time, finishing just one second behind the first-place boat.
The strong finish provided a timely confidence boost for the club as it prepares to enter its official robotics build season, which begins next week. During the build season, students will design and construct a competition robot for the upcoming regional tournament.
The Oceanside High School Robotics Club is scheduled to compete March 19-21 at Hofstra University, where teams from across the region will put their robots to the test in a high-stakes engineering competition.
