This article was written by BenitoLink intern Jessica Parga. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
More than 1,200 participants filed in and out of Hollister High School’s Mattson Gym this weekend—every seven minutes, a team rolled in its robots, while volunteers rushed into the field of play, clearing and resetting the game for the next group.
Each game only lasted 2.5 minutes, with 51 games taking place on Saturday alone. Students stood at either end of the gym controlling their robots from the driver stations. Robots zoomed around the structures, launching balls into the air.
Giovanny Arenas, who was one of the founding students of the Hollister High School Robotics club in 2017 and currently serves as team mentor, said hosting a regional competition was something he and his teammates have wanted to do since the organization was launched.
“We knew from the day we started,” said Arenas. “The community was always behind us, the school, families, community members…now we’re actually doing it. I can’t believe it. It’s insane, I mean, after eight years we finally did it.”
Drive Coach Isaiah Rodriguez talks with his team from Hollister High School, Deep-Space Robotics, moments before their robot entered the field. Photo by Jessica Parga 
Atticus Ha, center, cheers on Team 1458 Red Tie Robotics. Photo by Jessica Parga 
A player from the Netherland’s team, Rembrandts, drops “coral” for their robot to catch. Photo by Jessica Parga 
Team 6506 Steel Boot Robotics from Salinas High School stand with their robot during the national anthem. Photo by Jessica Parga 
Students with Team 5480 FYRE dress up as Umilo, their team mascot. Photo by Jessica Parga 
Members from Team 6962, Antares, watch in anticipation as robots compete in the playoffs. Photo by Jessica Parga 
The Goldstrikers from Cupertino, CA cheer as their team is introduced at the beginning of a game. Photo by Jessica Parga
The game itself, which has an “ocean” theme (and requires some imagination) comes down to harvesting “algae,”(in fact a large ball), seeding “coral” (a short length of PVC pipe), and hanging the robots from the “barge.” Scores are displayed on a projector while announcers call out the team’s moves for the crowd and livestream audience.
(For a full point breakdown and game play rules, check out the REEFSCAPE video here.)
An Enthusiastic Young Audience
Across the street, the 36 competing schools were stationed in pits at the O’Donnell Gym that resembled pits at a racetrack. Students created workspaces fit to service their robots in between games and display team information for visitors looking to learn more about their organizations.
Eleven-year-old Roman Gutierrez, who looked on, said he would like to someday join a robotics club. “I love building and I would love to do it,” he said. “It’s fun to see other people make machines that do stuff. And I think it’s cool.”
Many Hollister youth came to their first robotics event, looking forward to seeing the highschoolers’ creations. Parents and community members shared how welcoming and helpful the teenagers were as they walked through the O’Donnell Gym, passing by the competing schools’ workspaces.
Community and camaraderie are staples of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics and it was reflected in the competitors’ interactions throughout the weekend. Students meet members from different cities and countries, and often work together to solve technical problems. According to custom, team buttons are designed and shared at competitions, often collected and displayed across kids’ hats, jackets, or display boards at the front of the team pits.
Team 4481 Rembrandts from Eindhoven in the Netherlands mentioned that their builds are thoroughly documented on Chief Delphi, an online forum. According to Merle Leurs, a fourth-year member of the Rembrandts, it’s the most-read build-thread on the forum.
“All the prototypes we make we post on there,” said Abel Leurs, a first-year member and Merle’s younger brother. “And other teams can see what works, what doesn’t work…so they don’t have to spend their time and/or money on that.”
Moving from team to team, students with shirts that read “Citrus Service” aid participants and provide spare materials. Citrus Service is an outreach program with Team 1678 Citrus Circuits, from Davis Senior High School, which won the most prestigious award at the Pinnacles Regional (the Impact Award), and also captained the winning Alliance.
According to FIRST’s website, the Impact Award “honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate, and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.”
Teams heading to the 2025 Championship in Houston, Texas are Team 1678 Citrus Circuits from Davis Senior High School and Team 604 Quixilver from Leland High School.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour, United Way, Taylor Farms and the Emma Bowen Foundation.
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