OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state champion robotics team from Rochester High School may have to compete at nationals without their winning robot.
“I honestly felt as like that was like a lost loved one, that lost robot,” said Rochester sophomore Mason Young.
He, junior Daniel Dugas, and their robot "Vladimir" won the Skills USA Search & Rescue Challenge in Tacoma Friday night. The team spent the night in Tacoma ahead of Saturday’s awards ceremony.
Early Saturday morning, someone stole the team’s truck full off robots, drones, tools, and notebooks.
STEM/Robotics teacher Paul Kuss blames himself for leaving the items in the truck.
“You’re trying to tell yourself what you should have done,” said Kuss, fighting back tears.
He said the drones and robots were the result of countless hours of student work, mostly done before or after school.
“The actual man hours that go into it is almost incalculable,” said Kuss. “It’s impossible to explain. It was very, very difficult.”
In addition to the electronics, notebooks containing hundreds of pages of hand-written notes, sketches, and details about the devices were also stolen. Those notebooks, some 200 pages thick, are part of the judging process.
The team is not letting the theft ruin their plans on competing in the national championship in Atlanta in June.
Instead of spending time preparing and fundraising for the trip, the entire Rochester robotics team is working to rebuild the robots and re-writing the notebooks to be ready for nationals.
Young is holding out hope the stolen items will turn up.
"I would love that. I mean the notebook is probably destroyed, but the robot, it meant a lot, I miss my robot," said Young.
The Rochester School District would like to speak with anyone who knows anything about the crime or someone who might want to help fundraising efforts.