“Being in robotics is extreme dedication. It is just like a varsity sport," said Mountlake Terrace High School freshman Maya Allumada.
It’s a balancing act for a 14-year-old, who joined the team last August.
Allumada is one of about 50 members of a student-led Edmonds School District Robotics Team, Chill Out 1778.
“Life is very busy for students, especially for those taking advanced classes,” Allumada laughed.
Allumada is a programmer, the person on the team who figures things out.
“I am a freshman in high school, so you know the math that I am learning right now is not always enough. So I have to keep challenging myself to learn all these new things to understand what really goes into getting that game piece on every single time,” Allumada explained.
These students spend up to 20 hours a week practicing together – and several more hours on their own.
They compete under the auspices of First Washington, a nonprofit organization offering STEM programs for kids ages 4 to 18 across the state.
Robotics teams are given about two months to learn the season’s game challenge and compete.
“In First Robotics, a ton of it is math and data-driven and statistical driven,” said lead coach and mentor Steve Winckler.
While the Cascade PBS Newsfeed Team was there, Chill Out ran into a real problem. The chain on their robot skipped, but without missing a beat, they fixed it quickly.
Edmonds Woodway High School senior Lilia Pearson Maas says that’s a key part of the competitions.
"The window during repairs can be as short as two and a half minutes. There are times when we are going into matches back-to-back, and so our Drive Team really needs to be prepared to make quick decisions and repairs like that,” Pearson Maas said.
In the past two years, Winckler says, the team has had its most success.
“Last year, our robot ranked 24th in the world out of about 3,500 teams, and the season is still early – right now we’re ranked, I believe, in the top 10 worldwide out of about 3,700,” Winckler said.
Chill Out’s world ranking is automated on Statbotic’s website, where the predictive analytics for all competing teams worldwide are updated in real time.
Winckler says while the Edmonds School District doesn’t fund them directly – they show support by allowing them to use a shop and the decommissioned Lynnwood gym. That gym and the surrounding school buildings are temporarily the home of Oak Heights Elementary School.
Chill Out’s funding is generated through grants, company sponsorships and fundraisers.
“It is community-funded primarily. If you’re an organization that is in this industry, reach out to those [nearby district] teams, reach out to us ... offer financial assistance. Offer expertise,” Winckler said.
Mentors, parents and students say that kind of support can turn into life-changing opportunities.
“If I’ve taken anything out of this, is that I get to be a part of something that is bigger than me,” Maas said.
The team is heading to the Pacific Northwest District Championship April 3-5 in Cheney, Wash. Chill Out hopes to go to the international competition, First Championships, in mid-April in Houston.
