CLEVELAND — It’s a fast-paced, big-energy, high-tech sporting event putting 50 high school teams from seven states (including Ohio) in the spotlight. Whether a rookie team or long-time pro, the Buckeye Regional at the Wolstein Center are intense.
"Not many people actually get to do this, so this is actually kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime thing," remarked Callyah Velton, a freshman at MC2STEM High School in Cleveland.
"I'm looking forward to this for like months in advance," sophomore Kyle Williams added. "Every time the season's over, I'm just like, 'Man, I want to go back."
"I'm excited," Anelia Gonzalez, a junior at CMSD's Garrett Morgan School of Engineering & Innovation, stated. "I've never been a part of a team like this, and we worked really hard to get to where we are right now."
It's taken months of preparation at the Great Lakes Science Center to get six Cleveland teams ready for two days of competition. Volunteers and mentors from corporations like Sherwin-Williams guide students through engineering problems.
"We have students who have never done robotics, and initially they're very shy and timid and they're like, 'You know, I know nothing about robotics, so how do I help out here?'" Arley Trujillo, a teacher at the John Marshall School of Information Technology, told 3News. "But after the first week, they're really excited to get their hands on the robot."
The teams' preparation comes down to the wire to fix last-minute issues.
"The robot is doing great, but this is our first time driving it," Gonzalez said. "So we're kind of having a hard time maneuvering."
"The students get to develop these leadership skills," Trujillo explained. "Obviously they're working with their friends, but at some point, the robot gets to get built and tough decisions have to be made, so they have to learn how to make tough decisions."
New skills and confidence aren't the only things students will gain; the experience forges lasting bonds with teammates.
"We actually built a family with our robotics team," Velton said. "We learned a lot together, we built together, and we learned how to work together."
"So it was really nice to work as a team, and it ranges from ninth-graders to 12th-graders," Gonzalez remarked. "So we're all in it together."
The Buckeye Regional winner was the blue alliance that included teams The Flying Circuits from Pepper Pike and Steel Unit-E from Lakewood schools.