Three girls from South Whidbey recently made international headlines.
Hannah McConnaughey, Haley McConnaughey and Annika Hustad’s accomplishments in underwater robotics earned them an invitation to the Black Sea ROV International Competition in Constanta, Romania. Not only were they invited to compete against other high school teams, of which most were “overwhelmingly male” in Hannah’s words, but they left with the first-place trophy for the high school division and as kind-of celebrities enjoying Americans-in-Romania status along the idyllic seaside walkway where the events were held.
After the five-day competition, the Whidbey-based Atlantis ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) squad did educational outreach. During a stop in Istanbul, the girls presented their work and a couple of micro-ROVs to an international school of about 45 students. They left the two small “bots” with the school, hoping to plant the seeds of another underwater robotics club.
“We’re definitely putting Whidbey on the map,” Haley said.
Traveling to Eastern Europe was a first for all three girls, ages 13, 14 and 17. Constanta (pronounced constanza) also was the first time Atlantis ROV ever competed in open water.
Previously, the South Whidbey-based team practiced in the Island Athletic Center pool in Freeland and, on occasion, in the North Whidbey Park & Recreation District pool. Past competitions, after all, were held in controlled-environment pools such as the King County Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center in Federal Way for the MATE (Marine Advanced Technology Education) Pacific Northwest Regional competition.
After this year’s MATE competition, at which Atlantis finished in second place and missed out on qualifying for the international competition in Michigan, the girls had three months to build an entirely new bot. Given the conditions of open water, they elected for a bulkier, heavier ROV. That meant sacrificing some agility and maneuverability, and lots of money and worry over its transport from airport to airport.
Rough seas and 12-foot waves cresting onto the beach meant the more robust robot was a blessing, even if it was curse at customs.
Other teams from Romania had smaller ROVs. During the first day, as teams were meeting each other, the McConnaughey sisters recalled other students questioning them on their roster — “Where are the boys? — and about the bot’s size.
“They’d come up to us and be like, ‘Why is it so big?’ ” Hannah said. “It turned out to be a huge advantage because we weren’t buffeted around.”
Five tasks were assigned to the teams in Constanta. They had to pull out a rod of a simulated mine and bring the “defused” mine to shore, race through a series of gates in a time trial, return a 12-pound treasure chest to shore, and bring a neutral-buoyancy mannequin to shore. The latter task drew the headline of a local TV station in Romania that, “Three young United States had Constance robot who saves people from drowning,” as translated by Google. They were also featured in a national newspaper in Romania with a photo of the three girls and their bot “12” (so named because of its Seattle Seahawks colors and the girls’ home location in the Puget Sound area).
Robotic roots
Atlantis ROV used to have boys. The most recent of which was Christopher Wilson, who had to back out because of the nearly full-time commitment of 35 hours per week.
Chris left after the MATE regional competition, leaving Atlantis as an all-girl outfit; it was the McConnaughey sisters and Annika, who joined the team last year.
Hannah, a homeschooled senior, is preparing to find a college to pursue a business degree. She reflected on how as a young child speaking frightened her, but robotics competitions’ public presentation portions broke her stage fright.
“I was the shyest little kid,” she said. “I didn’t like talking to grandparents on the phone, my parents on the phone.”
Eventually she became the team’s spokeswoman and public relations expert.
Robotics continues for Annika and Haley. They’re teammates on the nine-member, South Whidbey Academy-sponsored team, Robotics Anonymous.
Haley described the new team as having Atlantis’ ambition of winning the Pacific Northwest Regional title and advancing to the international competition. The work, she said, will be easier with more people than the small Atlantis squad.
“It’s a new experience with new goals, she said.”
Many thanks
Atlantis was able to travel to Romania because of donations and fundraisers. As a thank you to their supporters, the team is hosting a celebration from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 at St. Augustine’s in-the-Woods Episcopal Church, 5217 Honeymoon Bay Road, Freeland. They will have a slideshow of their adventures and discuss their experiences.
