Following a season of hard work and dedication, Santa Margarita’s Robotics team triumphed in one of their best seasons yet.
Two significant competitions happened in the past month: the Orange County Regional competition from Feb 27 to March 1, and the Ventura County Regional Competition which was held from March 6 to 9.
There are two teams featured in Santa Margarita Robotics: Team 5805, SMbly Required (Varsity) and Team 3020, SMbly (JV).
In Robotics, students, teachers, mentors, and volunteers with various backgrounds utilize their collective skills to work as a unified team. Students explore STEM through design, manufacturing, programming, and assembling to have an engineering experience.
Each regional competition is three days long, each featuring a practice day, qualification matches, and final alliance matches. Alliance matches refer to matches where teams are paired up together and compete against each other in a playoff bracket.
At Orange County Regionals, both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams competed and dominated, with Varsity coming in 7th place and Junior Varsity securing 3rd, both high milestones for the team!
“The success of our robot, ‘Scavenger,’ is a testament to our relentless spirit and innovative mindset,” Junior Varsity Captain Thomas Yu said. “Earning 3rd place at OC Regionals proves that every challenge makes us stronger and more determined. I’m incredibly proud of our team—this achievement belongs to all of us: students, mentors, families, and supporters.”
Only a week later, the Varsity team dominated at the Ventura County Regional Competition, which featured 52 teams with more than 1500 students.
After multiple rounds of qualifying matches, Team 5805, SMbly Required, teamed up with elite squads from Ventura and the Netherlands. Together, they dominated the playoff bracket, and claimed first place.
Looking past their victories and into the months of hard work, preparation, and dedication makes the successes even more sweet.
“I’m beyond proud of every single member of our robotics team. Their commitment to the big picture, their patience in crafting every small detail, and their passion to win is simply remarkable,” said mentor Alexander Klatt.
With support from sponsors- Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Fabworks, and Truffles Clothing- and from the coaches, mentors, parents, and of course the students, Robotics is a thriving community that will keep growing in the future. For those interested in supporting or learning more about Santa Margarita’s Robotics Team- whether as mentors, sponsors, or parents- contact Alexander Klatt at [email protected].
