Our unofficial slogan is “there’s something for everyone.” This means from building to designing to keeping records, everyone has an integral role to play in keeping our team functioning at its very best. When we started the robotics club at our school, we were flooded with members, and on our official roster, we have about 50 people on our team. Since this was our rookie year, we knew that we nee
ded to start strong and bold, in order to pave a path for the years to come. Like the ships of the past, “all hands on deck” was how major tasks got done. We apply ideas like that, where everyone is included in a safe space, to get a job done. For example, when we resumed school, right after the kickoff, we sat everyone down in groups, so they could come up with ideas of how to manipulate the ball and what our strategy would be for the game. This is one example of many, of how we made use of the creativity of our members. Also, one of our core values is family because we look after each other in terms of tasks. For example, we pair up on tasks, so when a person is absent, the other person can cover for them. This is a good system because we can have everyone doing something, and people know as long as the other person is there, they are not letting the team down by being absent. Also, another example of covering for one another is people taking on extra roles, for the benefit of the team. For example, our main programmer was absent for an extended period of time, so another student Hanna Zhang assumed that role, and actually programmed our entire robot through research, with very little experience in programming. One of the strengths of our team is also the drive and willingness to work. On our team we have members who show up day in and out, who work hard [and play hard], but know that at the end of the day, the job must get done. This really benefited our team because since we are a rookie team, coming up with a design for the build was especially challenging. By having people who would stay at school for up to 6 hours on weekdays, we were able to get most of the ideas that we had down on paper, built and prototyped, so we can see which ones actually worked or not. One example was on the first Saturday of February, when we stayed at school from 9:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night, working on the bumpers and the launching mechanism, getting a final idea of what we wanted our robot to do and look like. Another example of the drive we show is when people get injured, they do not sit on the sidelines, because they cannot work; they try to help wherever they can, so that the robot can be completed. Chatura Sarathchandra, who injured/pinched his finger kept working, with the assistance of others, to keep building the robot. On our team, we have members who are willing to put in as many hours as needed to reap what they sow, and it is definitely one of our strengths. It creates a working aura, where members can focus and do their literal best because they know everyone else is doing the same on the team. Another strength that plays a major role in running the machine of 4914 is the positivity of our members. Over the 6 week build period, people have definitely made new friends. This helps keep everything running smoothly. Not only do people have others they can depend on, they also don’t want to disappoint their peers. Everyone tries their best on everything. On our team, we stay motivated in many ways to remain positive through a challenging building season. One example is how we take turns playing music in the robotics room, so everyone can work while “jamming” to tunes. We are a team of 50, so noise is definitely something that clouds around our team, as people are busy chattering away as they work. By playing music, it reduces the noise level, so people can focus, while the music is gently playing the background. Not only is this an effective method of increasing efficiency, it is an outstanding method of strengthening the friendships that makes our team stronger. We learn more about each other through our tastes in music. Also, we have really used the digital aspect of our world to keep a close family in 4914. Something quite magical that developed on our team was a small Skype conversation, which eventually grew to involve most of our robotics team. Conversations like this are now used as an effective method of filling in absent members, or simply discussing robotics with someone else, because there is always someone online on the conversation. These are examples of how we have grown a family like relationship, which we then harness to produce work of a phenomenal standard for a rookie team. Another aspect of our team is our inclusiveness. Out of a team of 50, many of our members actually joined well after the announcements at our school and the entry meetings were held. Out of those 50, we have many we like to call “die-hards”, who are constantly present and ready to do whatever needs to be done on the robot. We never shun a new member, because like our unofficial slogan goes, “there’s something for everyone”. For example, Stefana Cosofret, who joined the team in mid-January, is now a key member of our public relations team. She helped organize an open house day, where parents could come see the magnificent machinery that has kept their children wanting to stay late at school for 6 weeks. Also, because we have a practice field, we get visitors from other schools, and we do whatever we can to make them feel welcome. This is a part of the gracious professionalism FIRST preaches. It can be awkward and intimidating being in a room with another team. One example of this is a team that uses our field often, from Sir John A. We had brownies for our team, and since they were sitting mainly in one part of the room, we offered them some brownies [which were quite good, if I do say so myself], and we told them they could use our computer to play some music if they wanted. Now, we are close to the Macdonald team, and we are always happy to have them come over. They have provided us with some serious help in return. Since they are a veteran team we appreciate having them to provide constructive criticism on our robot, and we can sometimes do the same for theirs. All in all, team 4914 is a team that can adapt and be prepared for situations. We have a bond that goes past being members of the same club. We have become a family, which I think is an invaluable asset to any team. From being inclusive or to being driven, we are a team that operates with a sort of “hive” mind. Everyone understands and respects each other. By being an accommodating team, we can really make use of our driven crew, to get multiple tasks completed, while leaving no one on the sidelines, because like our soon to be motto, “There’s something for everyone.”
We are the Victoria Park Panthers. Team 4914.
