August 22, 2026
From Code to the Podium: The Smooth Operators Take 2nd at Nationals
The Smooth Operators earned second place at the K12 Robotics League National Championship this summer with a perfect score of 140 out of 140.
The team, coached by Felipe Engineer-Manriquez, competed against some of the top student robotics teams in the country. The only team to finish ahead of them, Cyberstorm Keystone, claimed first place with bonus points for a final score of 160.
But the runner-up finish was only part of the story.
After the competition, the winning team's coach and parents congratulated The Smooth Operators on their communication, teamwork, and coding skills. They were so impressed that they offered CAVA's team their place at the World Robotics Organization competition — a recognition of the students' ability to think critically and solve challenges in real time.
“This year, The Smooth Operators really blew me away. I was so impressed with their rapport and teamwork.”
Built on Scrum
The Smooth Operators spent months preparing for nationals. They met online each week to solve increasingly complex robotics challenges. The students live in different parts of California, but they worked together as if they were in the same room — sharing ideas, testing solutions, and constantly improving their code.
Noah said the team's willingness to collaborate became one of its biggest strengths. "Sharing one screen, testing ideas together, and learning from each other helped us solve problems much faster," he said.
It's the same Sprint rhythm Noah has used since he was four years old — plan what to tackle, work through it together, reflect on what worked and what didn't, and come back ready for the next piece. The tasks were different, but the framework was the same.
Creativity Makes the Difference
One of the competition's biggest challenges required teams to navigate a virtual factory course as quickly as possible. Instead of following the obvious route, The Smooth Operators asked if they could take a more creative approach.
They confirmed it was allowed. Then they spent several days testing whether their virtual robot could safely drive off part of the course, land correctly, and continue the challenge.
It worked. The strategy cut more than 20 seconds from their time and propelled them to a first-place finish in Round 2.
“We had to think outside the box. It didn't work every time at first, but we kept improving it until we got it right.”
That willingness to experiment, learn from each attempt, and iterate until it worked is Scrum in action — test, reflect, adjust, repeat.
More Than a Competition
For The Smooth Operators, robotics was about more than coding. It was a chance to build friendships, strengthen communication skills, and challenge themselves in new ways.
After the competition, the team celebrated with dinner together and a trip to Monster Mini Golf — the first time they'd spent time together in person after months of collaborating online from across California.
Looking Ahead
The Smooth Operators are already planning to return to competition next year, eager to build on what they learned and continue growing as a team.
Their second-place finish is a testament to what happens when Scrum-powered teens are given a challenge: they collaborate, they iterate, they find creative solutions, and they deliver. Congratulations to The Smooth Operators on an incredible season.
Source: California Virtual Academies (cava.k12.com/blog/stories-spotlights/from-code-to-the-podium-cava-robotics-team-earns-second-place-at-national-competition/). Facts and quotes cited from CAVA's coverage.