Finally, the day we’ve all been waiting for: FRC 2020 KICK-OFF!
Early last Saturday, the sleepy yet excited team began the drive to Bertie High School for the kick-off hosted by team 3797 Technical Assassins. Slowly, we filed into the dim auditorium. Laptop screens flashed as students anxiously fidgeted and talked in hushed conversation. As time rolled by, scenes of Dean Kamen’s house were replaced by the preshow and finally the event we were all waiting for. Minutes ticked by slowly, only interrupted by the sound of “arghs” as a 2642 comment scrolled across the bottom of the screen. Then: countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2--suddenly, everything was action.
Learn more about the FRC 2020 Game, Infinite Recharge here.
As soon as the password was released, our students were quick to review the 2020 game manual. What were the rules? What were some similarities to prior games? What were some potential obstacles? How was the field set up? How many human players were needed?
Some members headed back to the shop to discuss strategy as others remained at the school to help to complete the teams' quick-build chassises and assist new teams. “Abbey showed them electrical wiring... and we helped them with the information they would need to actually make a working robot… I enjoyed helping them and getting to meet the other teams,” said Senior & 4th Year Pirate, Josh Ledford.
Sunday began the hectic yet focused week of hashing out ideas, building prototypes, mocking up designs, and determining a social media schedule. The first safety talk of the build season began the nightly meeting on Tuesday. We reviewed shop etiquette, PPE (personal protective equipment), electrical safety, and how to leave the shop at the end of our meetings. The Pirate Safety Team will be deploying initiatives weekly that provide information, training and tips to share with others. #SafetyFIRST
On Thursday, a big reveal occurred as our new mascot the Safety Squirrel was introduced. (Thank you to Anna's mom and Anna for creating the newest Pirate! #OurParentsAreAwesome) A heated debate followed as members voted on the alliterative name of the rodent. The name Sammey was announced Saturday. Be on the lookout for a future post dedicated to Sammey and their role on the team. You'll want to follow #SammySafetySquirrel on Instagram!
Another new addition to our shop, a water cooler, was a huge hit. “Dehydration is a big problem in the shop. This should help us reduce more waste and drink more water,” explained Junior & 3rd Year Pirate, Anna Below. Keenan (Senior & 4th Year Pirate) put it more bluntly: “The water is really good!” he exclaimed.
On Friday, we launched our first FIRST Friday Social Media post. We decided to celebrate the girls of FIRST who act in the spirit of Rey, the skilled force-wielding mechanic and female protagonist of the latest Star Wars trilogy. We created the #ReysOfFIRST We encourage teams to join the movement by posting your stories of #ReysOfFIRST who shine their light(sabers) to inspire others and challenging three other teams to do the same. We celebrated the girls of Hawktimus Prime #3229, RotoRaptors #3737, and The Terrorbytes #4561 who rocked the house in October at Doyenne Inspiration and inspired girls along the way.
A productive first week has come to an end, but we are far from finished and are looking forward to future progress. Can we have another great week? We will “RISE” to the challenge! Check back next week for another update.
