After a rigorous project presentation, interviews and three grueling rounds of robotics missions, the ‘Iolani Roboraiders Red Team emerged victorious to clinch the Champion’s Award, the highest award
administered by the Hawaii State FIRST LEGO League. 
The Roboraiders Red
out-performed 63 other teams state-wide in this intense and complicated
"Sport of the Minds" which consists of equally weighted scores in the
categories of Robot Design, Robot Performance, Project Presentation and Teamwork.
‘Iolani's Roboraiders Red also received 3rd place in the robot
performance category. When they were announced as Champions at the end
of the hour-long awards ceremony, the thunderous response of hundreds of
students from all over Hawaii shook the rafters of McKinley High School
Gym where the eight-hour event was held last Saturday. Both Iolani
teams of RoboRaiders Red and Roboraiders Black sat in stunned amazement,
not quite certain if they heard the announcement correctly over the PA
system. Awed at their victory in the face of seemingly overwhelming
odds, the RoboRaiders Red humbly stepped forward to receive their
Champion’s trophy. 
Contrary to popular opinion that LEGO are toys for little kids to play
with, the FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology)
LEGO League programs are serious in their commitment to the advancement
of Science, Technology and Research. This year’s challenge consisted of
"how to create sustainable options to meet our planet’s growing energy
needs in a way that is good for the environment through their project."
RoboRaiders Red audited a local restaurant and presented a variety of
options that would conserve energy and save on economic expenditures for
energy consumption. 
Parent Coach and Team Founder, Mrs. Vivian Flores, explains the importance of ‘Iolani’s FIRST LEGO League teams
"The Roboraiders are two hard-working TEAMS
dedicated to the advancement of Science and Technology," Mrs. Flores says. 
Dr. Mark Lindsay, Faculty Advisor of the RoboRaiders, agrees. He judged
other non-‘Iolani teams on Saturday. Dr. Lindsay admits, "This
competition was the most intense and competitive I have witnessed. It
is as rigorous as ‘Iolani’s other competitive teams, such as Math Team
and Science Bowl. ‘Iolani faced many highly qualified teams whose
presentations and robotic expertise were outstanding. I didn’t judge
the ‘Iolani teams, but several other judges were emphatic that Iolani
was #1, especially in their teamwork and presentation. I believe what
made the crucial difference to Iolani is that we have two teams, the
Roboraiders Red Team and the Roboraiders Black Team. As far as I am
concerned, both teams are winners because they train together and
compete with each other. Red (team) wouldn’t have won this competition
without the Black (team). They are truly One Team!"
An official team victory celebration was held on Sunday, December 9th at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel,
courtesy of Timothy Ho's ('12) family. Both teams were surprised and
honored with a visit by Mayor Mufi Hannemann
who offered his congratulations and support of the team.
As State Champions, ‘Iolani’s Roboraiders Red are now eligible to
participate in the FIRST LEGO League Power Puzzle World Festival
Championship which will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome
and Georgia World Congress Center on April 17-19, 2008. A coach for the
RoboRaiders remarked, "Just when I thought we could relax, we now have a
trip to plan and fund-raise for!"
Roboraiders Red Team
Cameron Dye (team leader ), 2011
Michael Dang, 2012
Timothy Ho, 2012
Jason Loui, 2013
Blake Tsuzaki, 2013
Alex Young, 2015
Roboraiders Black Team
Lauren Faris (team leader), 2011
Erin Main, 2012
Logan Davis, 2013
Kyle Flores, 2013
Spencer Wakahiro, 2013
Markus Osterlund-Koga, 2013
Kevin Suzuki, 2013
Matthew Motooka, 2015
Roboraiders Coaches
Vivian Flores
Winston Dang
Margo Davis
Debbie Wakahiro
Faculty Advisor
Mark Lindsay
