Local robotics team Octobots Robotics 9084 has won the Rising All-Star Award at the recent FIRST Robotics Competition in San Diego. The team is based at Dos Pueblos High School.

The award celebrates the team for “persisting through challenges, despite the difficulties of being a younger team, understanding the power of the FIRST mission and demonstrating through their actions both at home and at the competition the ethos of gracious professionalism and competition, serving as a role model for other young teams, and standing out as a team with a sustainable and promising future with FIRST,” according the FIRST Robotics Competition.

“At only three years old, Octobots proves to be the little robot (club) that could,” said Rogue Lindsay, team captain and Dos Publos student. “While other competitive teams have full practice facilities, dozens of corporate sponsors, and paid coaches or teachers behind them, Octobots is a student-led, all-volunteer operation.

“Our mentors and parents volunteer thousands of hours to support the team. Dos Pueblos High School lends us the shop classroom and work area to build, program, and practice. We build an amazing robot, fundraise, strategize, project-manage, and give back in the community.

“We are proud to represent the Goleta and Santa Barbara area as the only FIRST robotics team in our area.”

Octobots also received recognition at the competition for their alliance team scoring the highest number of points in any single qualifying match during the entire competition, racking up a record 212 points over their competitor’s 113 points.

Octobots placed sixth out of 51 teams at the San Diego Regional Competition with a qualifying record of 8-1. Octobots was then selected as a first round pick in the finals, ending the finals with a record of 3-2; eliminated just before the final match.

Following their success in San Diego, Octobots Robotics Team 9084 is ranked 204 out of 3,706 worldwide, 167 out of 2,939 in the United States of America, and 25 out of 290 robotics teams in California.

“Our performance this weekend was outstanding. We have skyrocketed in performance on so many levels but what I am most proud of is our grit, the perseverance and effort that this team put in to overcome obstacles and challenges,” said Michael Ramsey, lead Octobots Robotics Team mentor.

Octobots Robotics will now head to the FIRST Robotics Competition, Central Valley Regional in Fresno, California, in early April for a last chance to take home the blue banner and advance to the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in Houston, Texas, April 16-19, where the top teams from around the world compete in a final battle.

Established by a small group of robotic-enthusiastic high school students and two volunteer mentors in 2023 as the only FIRST robotics team serving students in the Goleta and Santa Barbara area, Octobots Robotics is an all-volunteer, all-inclusive team of high school students dedicated to inspiring youth to become science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in mentor-based programs and competitions that build business, science, engineering, and technology skills.

The team promotes STEM education in the community, volunteering at local science nights, community fairs, and new this year, offering a summer camp for students in grades five through nine.

The team receives no regular funds from the school or other sources and must raise operating funds each season to cover 100% of the cost to build the robot, travel fees, and competition fees.

Sponsors include Gene Haas Foundation, Bodenhamer Family, Waters-Wyatt Technology, Teledyne Flir, and Arthrex.

For more, visit www.teamoctobots.org.