The running joke among members of the Mountain View High School Robotics team at the end of last month's CalGames was that they had taken the competition by "Storm."

That's because Storm is the name of the robot the team piloted to a win in 15 out of 16 matches on Oct. 22 and 23 at Lynbrook High School in San Jose.

Storm, an offensive robot, scored an average of about 15 goals in each soccer-like match, according to Izzie Baney, co-president of the team.

Each match pits two teams of three robots each against one another. Team members use remote controls to pilot the machines over humps and through tunnels with a soccer ball in tow. The matches are times and whichever team has the most goals at the end of the match wins.

"It's super fun," Baney said of the competition and the robotics team, which she has been a member of for three years now.

It is also educational. Baney has always been interested in science and the club has provided an outlet for her interests.

And while winning is fun, in the process she has learned many technical, engineering skills. She has also learned leadership and teamwork.

"There is a real sense of camaraderie that develops," she said. But best of all, is the creation of the machines.

"If I could sum it up in one word it would be creativity," she said.