Creativity. Inspiration. Engineering. Fellowship. Competition. FIRST Robotics is more than just manufacturing a machine. The majority of us only see the robot, a metal contraption roaming a field. We don’t consider the amount of time and effort that goes into it: the programming, precision, designing and driving.
We don’t hear the celebratory “hurrahs” or the sounds of frustration. We don’t practice into the night, exploring for errors. Our hands don’t go in the team huddle before the match begins. And we don’t hold our breath, as the robot that took six weeks to build, takes the field– its stage.
“According to the founder, Dean Kamen, it’s supposed to be known as the ‘Varsity Sport of the Mind,’” FIRST Robotics advisor Rory Callendar said. “Every year in January there’s a big announcement, where they announce the game, what it’s going to be. Nobody knows anything about it. Six weeks exactly from that point you have to build a robot.”
Participants then look at available projects and decide where they would like to apply themselves and figure out where they would best fit.
“Usually we start with a design process, where we look at the game and we look at how we can play and strategize what we can do,” Callendar said. “Once we’ve designed [the robot], we go to the drawing board, we design it on Computer-aided design (CAD), after that we fabricate and cut the parts. Then it’s driving and testing. And then we work out the bugs, there’s always something that goes wrong.”
It has been four years since the program was first introduced. This time, the object of the game is to move a large ball (similar to an exercise ball), across the competition field and into a hole in a set-up wall. There are 20 students involved- dedicating themselves to this mission; intrigued by the engineering fields.
“It get students excited about STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics),” sophomore team member Andrew Dickinson said. “It kind of grounds some of these ideas, you learn how to do these things in math and science, but FIRST Robotics I think has that sense of reality. It’s like ‘this is what we can do.’”
FIRST Robotics coach Chuck Priese said that a lot of hard work is to be expected.
“Blood, sweat and tears!” Priese said. “There is a lot to learn. Students who excel really get into the details and learn with mentors and on their own. The skills necessary go beyond high school training so learning and listening are key.”
The program is a beneficial addition on college applications and resumes. Over $14 million in scholarships is available for participants. Priese said FIRST Robotics students get exposed to all the right things necessary to be a good employee. Senior Perry Benson joined the team as a junior, finding it interesting and propitious preparation for the future.
“Since we’re going off to college soon, in the next few years, or in my case– this year, I get a lot of experience for the field I’m probably going into,” Benson said. “It’s something I want to do when I’m older and it’s a great learning experience. It’s team building and learning how to work with a team. It is exposure to a field that a lot of people don’t get exposed to. You get in, you learn what you need to do, and then you do it. It’s a very unique experience for an extracurricular activity.”
Aside from building robots, the teammates also build friendships that last longer than the competition season.
“By the end of the season, they’re pretty close,” Callendar said. “We do have kids who join a little bit later in the season, but the core group is really tight and they have figured out how the other works, and their behaviors, and they start to blend. They’re level-headed and they get along really well.”
Returning teammate, junior Alexander Sokoly became involved with FIRST Robotics as a sophomore and agrees that the group gets along very well.
“A lot of people in there love what they do, and they like robots so that gives us all a common interest,” Sokoly said.
Dickinson says that this is his “circle of friends.” Before a match, they are able to bond with one another as they share a group huddle.
“Before we actually start getting out the wrenches and start doing things, we have a conversation, but then we huddle and we all say ‘Go Bucs!’ together,” Dickinson said. “You don’t really imagine that, you’d think that we all just run in with our wrenches and stuff. We’re a team, we’re organized, and there’s fellowship.”
Winning is on the competitors’ minds as they go into battle, hoping that all of their hard work will pay off.
“People know we exist, they hear about us in announcements, but on the inside, the kids just want to win,” Callendar said. “They want to build a robot that brings them to that win. I think that each of the kids, as far as technology and engineering is concerned, are trying to start an early path to a successful career, or maybe it’s just a hobby, but they see a value in life being enhanced by technology.”
The competitions are Dickinson’s favorite part. There are matches throughout the day, as an exuberant energy flows through the crowd. Teams come with face paint and school spirit splashed all over their bodies, showing off their dedication and excitement.
“It’s kind of like patriotism, but for the school,” Dickinson said. “It’s Buccaneer pride”.
Benson enjoys the mechanical aspect the most.
“I like actually putting it together and building it, the mechanical [facet] of it,” Benson said. “Since this is my first year, that’s all I’ve done so far and I’m really loving it.”
There is a great deal of help from around the community; parents volunteer and experienced mentors assist the eager students. Priese said there were about 50 custom manufactured parts from at least six different suppliers.
“It’s fantastic, I love that connection to the outside world,” Callendar said. “[Another] thing that I really like is that when we go to an event we see the diversity amongst the students. There are kids that are totally nerded out, with their capes and viking horns, but then you’ve got the varsity jacket wearers who are captains of the football team. It draws a diverse group of kids with all sorts of talents. To have a successful team, you’ve got to have a lot of talent.”
