For a second, part of me wished I was a teenager again.

Several months ago members of Alpena High School Robotics Team 5055 visited the Alpena Rotary Club and gave members a presentation about how they fared last year at world competition, as well as an update on what competition was sizing up to look like for this year.

While last year all the teams were involved in an elaborate stacking drill with their engineered robots, this year’s problem-solving equation looked like it came straight out of the latest video game software. In a video teasing teams about the competition at regional, state and world championships, the organizers showed robots having to tear down, or get through walled obstacles, guard a ball the units had to carry and protect and then get to a castle, where each team had to successfully catapult the ball from their robot into a tower a certain amount of times to claim victory.

The video, part of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) promotional materials, included strobe lights, colored spotlights and sports music – which shouldn’t really surprise anyone. This is, after all, a competition where competitive juices are supposed to flow and adrenaline pulsates through the veins of the participants. After watching it I was ready to roll up my sleeves and jump into the competition.

As members of Team 5055 shared their experiences with Rotary members, their enthusiasm was contagious. It was easy to understand why this group of students readily volunteer their time amidst their busy schedules to outwit and outdesign the competition using skills in science, math, engineering and economics. Mix in a little marketing and public relations skills for good measure, and it’s easy to understand why these members are among the “best of the best” of their peers.

Each team starts with a box of very basic parts -things like gears, motors and other moving machinery parts. With the help of adult mentors from the community, the team then is under a very strict deadline to design and build a robot that will out-perform everyone else in the competition. The rules are so strict in this competition that the finished robot must be sealed up and crated – and can’t be uncrated until the pit areas open prior to the actual competition. Trust me, this isn’t for the faint of heart. Each of these students needs to have been born with MacGyver genes running through them.

As I write this I don’t know how Team 5055 is faring in St. Louis. However, I do know the experiences they are enjoying, the friends they are making and the knowledge they have gained through teamwork and problem solving will be a great asset to each of them for the rest of their lives.

I’m happy for them and proud of them. They are a great group of teenagers who have represented our region well in competition this week.

Bill Speer can be reached via email at bspeer@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 354-3111 ext. 331. Follow Bill on Twitter @billspeer13. Read his blog, More BS?(Bill Speer) at www.thealpenanews.com.