The team members who first joined the Camas robotics team for the competition season were bewildered by the competition and finally achieved the 24th place in 2008’s Portland Regional Competition.
However, after this humble beginning, the team has gone from strength to strength and has won its first ever regional game in both Portland and Seattle, competing against several teams to gain a spot in the St. Louis World Championships.
Brett Johnson, a senior at Camas High School, works on a robot model during a meeting of Mean Machine team members Monday at Liberty Middle School.
Brett Johnson, a team member and senior Camas High School student, who was in the team right from its first year, revealed that the team victories really made him so happy that he broke down and cried. Being one of the founding members of the team made him feel very proud of the team’s achievements. At present, the team was preparing a 28 by 36 inch long aluminum-based robot named Wallace and Gromit, which would be competing against robots from hundreds of teams.. The team consisting of 26 members from Washougal, Camas, Hayes Freedom and Hockinson High Schools gave a presentation to the Camas School Board Members, which included displays of their robot’s activities, a comprehensive explanation about how the robot was constructed and a video recording of their winning performances.
According to Superintendent Mike Nerland, from the next school year, the school board would approve the class and give them credit for their work. Nerland commented that it was amazing to hear about the project from the start to the finish and he also said that was going to be of great benefit to the future of the team members who took part in such competitions. Along with the team there were also nine adult mentors from different companies, and the team gave them all the credit for winning the regional competition. The sponsors who provided the necessary equipment and the community who unstintingly and generously supported them were also thanked. Johnson revealed that the team needed to raise an amount of $600 for its St. Louis Championships. Their goal was to finish in the Top 40. He further stated he already felt like a winner as participating in FIRST had given him several life changing lessons, which would help him in his future too.