Skunk Works Robotics Team 1983 wins District, moves on to championship in Houston

The Skunk Works Robotics Team 1983 had an impressive showing at the Pacific Northwest FIRST Robotics District Championships in Cheney, WA last weekend and secured a spot to compete in the FIRST Championship world competition in Houston, Texas on April 19-22, 2023!

In 2022, the City of Houston hosted the largest FIRST Championship event to date, with 36,000 attendees from more than 50 countries and they anticipate this year’s event to be even bigger. FIRST® (*For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through inclusive, team-based robotics programs.

The Skunk Works Robotics Team 1983 team is made up of 30 students, all of whom are in 8th to 10th grade and come from various areas in King County such as Burien, White Center, Highline, West Seattle and more.

At the District Championship competition last weekend, Skunk Works Robotics was added as a 4th team to the #1 ranked alliance and ended the weekend with the following results:

• Secured Skunk Works Robotics Team 1983 position at the World Competition in Houston.
• Tied a world record score of 192 points in one match (193 is a perfect game).
• Received the coveted Excellence in Engineering Award.
• Won the District Championship (with our alliance teams – clarifying that this is not a standalone win).
• Ranked 14th in the FIRST Pacific Northwest district (made up of Washington, Alaska and Oregon).

This is a remarkable accomplishment for the team this year because over 80% of the students are rookies. This team has been slowly rebuilding after the pandemic – and coverage from local media has helped us with fundraising and to reach prospective new students and families.

The team meets in a location provided by the Highline School District and will hold an open house down the road for families interested in learning more about opportunities for high school students to learn software programming, CAD design, marketing/business planning, building electronics, and part fabrication.

Visit www.skunkworks1983.com to learn more.