The members of the robotics team at San Luis Obispo High School have many names, but now, you can just call them champions.
The team competed at the state championships in Bakersfield on March 2 against 35 other teams and took home three separate awards.
They were declared tournament champions, skills champions for best driving and programming skills, and also received the design award.
"It was awesome being able to hold up three banners at this event because it's state championships and we absolutely swept everyone," said Christopher Kaml, who is a junior at the school and acts as a team driver, CADder (computer-automated design) and builder. "It was really fun."
Members of the championships roster said they spent roughly 15 hours a week building, designing and testing their robot.
"I really enjoy competing," said Hunter Dorf, the team's programmer. " ... The software engineering skills that I have learned through this program have helped me a lot and it's probably going to be my future career."
The team will now advance to the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas in April where hundreds of teams from across the globe will compete.
The club's advisor, Steve Crow, hopes the team can raise $10,000 for the trip to pay for travel, lodging and food. Crow has led the group now for four years.
The team made the trip last year and placed in the top 160 out of 22,000 eligible teams worldwide.
If you'd like to donate, you can email Steven Crow at scrow@slcusd.org for more information.
