‘We have achieved everything we set out to accomplish.’ Boca Raton robotics team reaches international competition

The Dirty Mechanics 4-H Boca Raton Robotics Club recently competed at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) South Florida Regional in West Palm Beach and earned a spot at the World Championships in Houston for a fourth time in the program’s existence.

The team of 21 students from 12 different schools and home schools won the Impact Award, the highest award for the regional event, on or off the field. There were 35 U.S. and international teams participating in the regional competition.

The teams get the game rules on the first Saturday of January and the competition starts on a weekly basis on the first weekend in March and continues until the beginning of April. The teams compete throughout the season, and those that win their tournaments advance to the championship.

Dirty Mechanics co-founder David Ferguson said he is proud of what the program has accomplished during his 14 years of directing the team. His previous teams also competed at the World Championships in 2014, 2016, and last year where they finished 41st out of 75 teams in their grouping. There were 32,000 people there and 415 teams competing.

“This multi-year community effort is the key reason why the team won the off-the-field award,” said Ferguson, 63, of Boca Raton, who co-founded the group. “We have achieved everything we set out to accomplish.

“After 14 years of co-building this team, I am so humbled and honored that our team has been recognized as … doing our program the right way and being a model for others to follow,” he said. “We follow the KISS philosophy: Keep It Simple Silly. We train and empower our adult mentors and instill our mission, and they, in turn, do the same for our students. It is a simple recipe to follow. Every team member, past and present, has brought this honor to us.”

Ferguson said they compete April 19-22 at the international event in Houston in two different events — one on the field against 75 robots in their division. About 600 robots from around the world participate. The other competition is the Impact Award competition, with about 100 teams.

Ferguson said members like Jackie Marks, who serves as the team’s business and marketing manager, spearheaded the effort bringing the students and adults together to let the FIRST organization know what the Dirty Mechanics has done for the Boca Raton community.

“Winning the Regional Impact Award to qualify Team 3932 for the 2023 World Championships is one of the best highlights of my entire high school experience,” said the 18-year-old Marks, who lives in Boca Raton.

“Over the last four years, I have led team efforts and worked hard to write and edit award essay submissions as well as present and talk to judges culminating in winning this prestigious FIRST award,” she said. “Working with my mentor, Lisa Byrne, and other team members, I’ve learned how to write concisely, improve my speaking and presentation skills, and gain confidence.”

Marks has worked on outreach projects like the Digital Inclusion Initiative with their founding sponsor Rotary Club to set up Wi-Fi routers for underserved school children to have access to the internet to complete their schoolwork and have led cereal and food drives for Boca Helping Hands.

“Not only was it rewarding and helped us with the Impact Award,” Marks said, “but I am inspired to continue to volunteer in my community for the future.”

Another team member, Ava Gottesfeld, 17, of Boca Raton, said she is happy to be headed to the World Championships for a second consecutive year.

“I love FIRST and have been so inspired by my mentors that I want others to have the great experience I have had,” said Gottesfeld, who is an assistant captain of the team. “By helping start and mentor the FIRST Lego League community team, the Griffins, I have seen kids get passionate about FIRST and all things STEM.

“It is so exciting to see them teach and help their teammates and enjoy their success in getting a bid to the 2023 WPI FLL Invitational in Boston this summer,” she said. “I plan to continue to mentor FLL in underserved areas and mentor FRC and FLL teams in college and my career. I can’t wait to judge and referee FIRST competitions too.”

Dirty Mechanics team captain Julia Cardosa said being on the squad helped her find new confidence.

“Being able to build robots, talk about what I love, and be a part of a loving community has changed me for the better,” said Cardosa, 18, of Boca Raton. “I ask questions easier, have more confidence in my answers, and have become comfortable with the engineering design experience that I’m sure will benefit me in my career.”

The team was co-founded by Ferguson and his wife, Ellen; Joel Middlebrooks (Boca Raton) and J.D. Potts (Lake Worth) and all are still with the team. They are based at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, which sponsors the space for the Dirty Mechanics’ community team as part of their own commitment to community outreach. Ferguson said they could not exist without the generosity of Saint Andrew’s.

“FIRST and the Dirty Mechanics are an important part of my life,” said Rebecca Levy, 16, of Delray Beach, another assistant captain on the team.

“Going to the World Championship and sharing four days with more than 30,000 people from around the world is a life-changing experience,” she said. “I will always be grateful to the Dirty Mechanics for preparing us to be positive thinkers and problem solvers. The dedication of our mentors shows the commitment we all have with the future of our world.”

Visit DirtyMechanics.org.