LONG GONE ARE THE DAYS where teens who liked robotics, computers and engineering were considered “nerds” or outcasts. Today’s brightest minds are tomorrow’s inventors, designers and teachers—which makes them pretty much the coolest kids on the planet.
Just take FRC Team 180, S.P.A.M. (Speed, Power And Maneuverability) Robotics, for example. Made up of 67 teens from home schools and four Florida high schools in the Martin County School District, the team participates in annual robotics competitions organized by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). It starts with FIRST developing a game in which teams from around the world compete. Teams then design, build and program a robot in just six weeks.
The 2014 game, Aerial Assist, required teams to work together in alliances to score points by throwing as many balls as possible into goals in two-and-a-half minutes. For the third year in a row, S.P.A.M. Robotics (and their alliance partners) won the South Florida regional tournament—this time beating out more than 40 teams from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts and Mexico. In addition to winning, the team was awarded the Gracious Professionalism Award, based on feedback from other teams, for outstanding sportsmanship and gracious professionalism. In the case of S.P.A.M. students and mentors, they helped other teams by programming and assembling robots, sharing scouting data and introducing new teams to potential sponsors. As Rich Brooks, the team’s leader and board president, said, “To receive this peer award is a great honor and a reflection that the S.P.A.M. students [understand] that the journey is just as important as the destination.”
The team is no stranger to winning. Just a month before the South Florida FIRST Robotics Competition Regional tournament, they picked up a win at the FRC Orlando Regional tournament. Over the last few years, they’ve also earned awards for industrial design and engineering excellence, and a couple FIRST Dean’s List Finalists, which celebrates outstanding student leaders. And did we mention the team won the world championship in the Galileo Division at the 2012 FIRST Robotics Competition in St. Louis?
As a strictly nonprofit organization, S.P.A.M. Robotics relies on donations (i.e., financial support, supplies and/or parts) from individuals and local businesses. They also have a long list of generous sponsors—including engineering, aeronautics and technology companies—who no doubt see the potential of an extremely talented future workforce.
It’s no surprise that these robotics competitions are called “varsity sport for the mind.” Being on the S.P.A.M. Robotics team requires full participation in meetings, fundraising, brainstorming, designing and building. And, like in many sports, being part of a team inspires self-confidence, leadership and collaboration.
“I have been on the team three years, and it is the most fun I have ever had,” said 11th-grader Lily Pawlak. “It is what I look forward to every day, getting to work with machines and all of my friends. I plan on becoming a mechanical engineer. I wouldn’t have known that without S.P.A.M. and its incredible mentors teaching me everything I know.”
Why not explore your options to join a local robotics team? It may be your first step toward building new friends, more confidence and an award-winning machine!
