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FIRST Robotics
Kenninator
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I just got back from a trip to Atlanta on Sunday. I was at the 2008 FIRST robotics competition with my team. It's this thing that highschools and their students can get involved in. Every year they have a new challenge, and each highschool team has to build a robot in 6 weeks to compete with other robots. It's not like battlebots or anything, almost like an average sport, but with 120 pound robots.
I'm currently a senior in highschool, so this was my last year doing it. We've improved every year, and finally took the gold in the Boston regionals competition. By doing that, we earned the right to go to the nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an amazing time.
The FIRST website is http://www.usfirst.org/. Also, heres a site with some details on my team, complete with videos of some of our matches. http://www.thebluealliance.net/tbatv/team.php?team=1474
So, anyone on the PA boards involved with FIRST?
I'm currently a senior in highschool, so this was my last year doing it. We've improved every year, and finally took the gold in the Boston regionals competition. By doing that, we earned the right to go to the nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an amazing time.
The FIRST website is http://www.usfirst.org/. Also, heres a site with some details on my team, complete with videos of some of our matches. http://www.thebluealliance.net/tbatv/team.php?team=1474
So, anyone on the PA boards involved with FIRST?
Kenninator on
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I haven't really followed it in the last few years, though. What types of things are they doing these days?
The same sort of thing happened with some of the engineering courses at my high school. One of the teachers was also in charge of our FIRST team, and every one of his classes was spent working on FIRST stuff. I'd have been kinda annoyed if I wasn't already on the team.
I was in it for two years. The first year was a 2v2 game, and while we didn't win anything, we destroyed more than one team's robot in the regionals( never intentionally, but it was still pretty awesome when it happened ). Second year had all 4 teams in the match cooperating, so there was much less destruction, but that time we won the regionals. Still got stomped in Florida, though.
IFI is also the developer of the VEX robotics system, which has its own championship along with its FIRST competition. So, I pretty much was my High School's robotics team, and entered into the Dallas regional VEX competition last year. Got, the top seed but lost due to poor alliance choices. I was bummed out I never got to do FRC, it is way awesome.
I did end up going to multiple championships as a spectator, though I didn't make it out to Atlanta this year. My dad was all pumped because the IFI sponsored team won the FRC championship this year.
I should visit them again sometime.
Time to brush up on How to Survive a Robot Uprising.
That's unfortunate about the people who were forced to join teams, that's just bull. My team, (1474, by the way) is incredibley small comapred to some of the mammoth teams, around 10 or 15 students, but I know if more people were forced to join that didn't want to we would get even less work done. It's hard enough working with people who actually like the stuff we do, let alone anyone who's apathetic about it.
Also:
Even if you aren't an expert on engineering or technology or anything like that, you can always volunteer at events. I'm sure there's info on the FIRST website for how to do that. You can also donate to teams, or if possible ask your employers to donate or even sponsor a local team. Every little bit helps, and I know our sponsors loved the fact we got an article in the Boston Globe before and after we took first place in the Boston Regionals.
I can vouch for this; I was a ref for the middle school MindStorms competition last year and had a blast. It was hard work, but was really rewarding seeing just how the different teams worked together and all the cool designs they came up with. There was one team in particular who yelled and screamed at each other throughout the whole competition; it looked like absolute chaos, but they were actually one of the more effective teams because every one of the kids knew his spot in the rotation. They didn't win, but they ended up getting another robot kit as part of the extra prizes.
It was a lot like judging a science fair, but with more exciting robot action and less styrofoam models of the solar system. Plus, you know, I got to wear a stripy shirt.
It's about here that I lost interest. Robots exist only to fight and die for mankinds amusement... what would be the point otherwise?
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