On September 12, 2026, growingSTEMS sent off a good number of our high school, college, and adult participants in our combat robotics team, Team Honey Cracked, to attend the second NHRL Pro Tour competition of the year. This invite-only competition, which took place in at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, was streamed live on DAZN and YouTube. For many people, that was the only way to see the robot carnage, as the venue was as packed as the fire code would allow.
Team Honey Cracked sent two world-class competitors to the event, Deadrise (30 lb.) and HoneyBombers (12 lb.). Deadrise was driven by Joe Copenhaver, with Zoe Lambert and Colin Butrym behind the glass controlling HoneyBombers. Along with the two robot teams fighting under the Team Honey Cracked banner, Liam King, a former member of Team 836 The RoboBees and a current Team Honey Cracked team member, battled with his robot Buzzzz-Kill (12 lb.) under the auspices of Team Spectra.
Deadrise made it into the semifinals for the 30 lb. weight class before being eliminated. HoneyBombers put up a valiant effort but did not advance past the qualification rounds. Buzzzz-Kill took home the trophy for the 12 lb. weight class.
During the event, our team members took time to speak to the fans and the community about combat robotics, growingSTEMS, and what makes Team Honey Cracked special. Helping others get started in combat robotics is a core part of the team spirit. Team Honey Cracked takes pride in the team that we have built and the people that we have raised up to be amazing teammates for others in the community. We have many more events on the horizon that we are looking forward to this season!
