Santa Maria-Bonita Robotics Teams Advance to Southern California Championship
Three robotics teams from the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) have qualified for the 2026 Southern California VEX IQ Robotics Competition, scheduled for March 13-14 at Sofia University in Costa Mesa. The teams—from Tommie Kunst Junior High, Sanchez Elementary, and Jimenez Elementary—earned their spots following a strong performance at the Coast Fusion VEX IQ Invitational in January.
Coast Fusion Tournament Highlights Collaborative Spirit
The Coast Fusion VEX IQ Invitational, held at Tommie Kunst Junior High School in Santa Maria, brought together over 65 teams from across the Central Coast for a day of “Mix & Match” challenges.1 The tournament showcased the engineering, coding, and strategic skills of young roboticists.
“The Coast Fusion tournament was a celebration of the ‘fusion’ of ideas and the spirit of competition,” said Pedro Garcia IV, SMBSD technology and robotics teacher on special assignment. “We are incredibly proud of our students for demonstrating the technical skill and teamwork necessary to compete at the state level. They aren’t just building robots; they are building the future.”
VEX IQ Competition and “Coopertition”
The VEX IQ program challenges students to design, build, and program robots, emphasizing the engineering design process.1 A unique aspect of the VEX IQ competition is the Teamwork Challenge, which requires two different schools to collaborate as an alliance to achieve a high score, fostering a spirit of “coopertition.”
Additional Teams Qualify
In addition to the SMBSD teams, robotics teams from Atascadero and Paso Robles too qualified for the state championship based on their performance at the Coast Fusion tournament.1
Event Details
The Coast Fusion VEX IQ Invitational took place on January 26, 2026.3 The event featured the VEX IQ “Mix & Match” game, requiring robots to work together to solve complex puzzles.4
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