Today is ship day…And so ends the build session for our FIRST rookie year. We managed to build our whole robot in 13 meetings, and only had one week-day meeting.

Here are some of the thoughts of our team members:

“The FIRST experience. Thrilled by science and technology. Inspirited by the partnership of team members. Energized by the feat of engineering. Motivated by the wisdom of mentors. I am inspired.”
- Jeff Chan


“Over the 6-week build period, our team not only managed to build an extraordinary robot, but also learn new techniques and create memories along the way. Starting out as rookies, our team was far from perfection, but each mistake was well worth it. We took the mistakes to our advantage and learned from them, bringing us one step closer to creating a better robot. Though we may have been exhausted, angry, and bitter at times, we managed to pull through with stronger bond than ever before. “
- Katherine Huynh


“It’s been so long since I’ve had a goal I’ve almost forgotten how good it feels. Spending long hours with close friends, working towards, and achieving a shared vision. It’s been a great learning experience, and I can’t wait till we do it again next year.”
- Brian David


“Coming into FIRST as a Rookie Team, we did not know what to expect. Of course we knew the next 6 weeks were going to be filled with hard work, team meetings with open end times, dedication, and a lot of perserverance, but that did not stop Team 2854 from making a fully functional robot. At the end of the 6 weeks, when shipment day arrived, it was saddening to ship off the robot, knowing that we would see our hardwork in a month or so. A strong bond developed between the members after all those long hours spent working on programming or building what had seemed to be an impossible task. Although we all attended the same school, not all the members had known each other previous to the Kickoff. As the season continued, the members became more like a team pulled together by one reason: their love for robots.”
- Jacqueline Tran


“Working on the robot was full of hard work, determination, and cooperation by everyone which is what, helped us to finish the robot. This experience has been changing and has showed me that with teamwork anything can get done. I have learned on a big project like this there will always mistakes, but that is what helps us learn and grow as a team.”
-Jimmy Tran


“I learned that sometimes the best laid plans can fail, and the important thing to remember is to always be flexible and work with what you have. A prototype is just a way to test out an idea, and sometimes, ideas dont work out. It’s important to learn from your earlier mistakes, and use the knowledge gained to perfect your design. In the end, if the final version of the robot surpasses expectations, the experience is made, all the better.”
- Hubert Wang


“It was a great time working with new friends, meeting new people, and working with the power tools (Tim Taylor grunt), electronics, & programming.  I’ve soaked up and learned so many cool things that it’s simply amazing what I missed out on before we joined FIRST and tackled this project. Maybe not the most respectable but one of the things I learned during this 6-week grueling process was “The 5 stages of Sleep Deprevation (in order)”:
1. Confusion
2. Organized Chaos
3. Pissiness
4. Drunkeness (including a bit of singing)
5. Half brain function
All in all, I’ve met some amazing people. I would be shocked if in 10 years these kids weren’t pioneering in their own fields. This club has brought back a sense of friendship and the kind of determination and cooperation you just don’t see these days. Looking back, I’m glad I made this journey and I look forward to doing it all over again next year.”
- Ryan Gordon


“When some of our team members actually brought up the prospect of making a FIRST team, and competing, I was originally against the idea. We had only done BotBall in the past, and I thought that since we have no mentors, or previous experience, the task would be near impossible, however, as time progressed, I began to warm up to the idea and enjoy it more and more. Our team was originally not accustomed to staying up and working for more than 15 hours straight, not being able to tell which day it was, and even making a guessing game out of what time it happened to be. Once we were able to settle in, our productivity shot through the roof. As a rookie team, we were able to build our entire superstructure over the span of just 4 days. Aside from being a blast, this experience has been incredibly educational. Unfortunately, during the course of learning what exactly I had to do, I made a lot of mistakes on the robot, and ended up having to rewire the entire thing 3 or 4 times. And our last workday was one of my most intense days of my life, working on the robot for 22 straight, solid hours certainly took a toll, but we were finally greeted with the satisfaction of finally being able to drive our robot around the field, pick up/shoot the rocks as well as the veteran teams, and being complimented by them. I was filled with a great sense of accomplishment as our team rejoiced. It was a rather somber moment when the FedEx truck came to take our creation away later that morning, leaving what seemed like a gaping hole in the garage where it used to reside. At first, I thought that it was all over, but I soon realize, that it is just the beginning. I know we may not be the best team there, and we might not make it to the very end, but I still take pride in the work I’ve done, and i know that every minute of this project was time well spent……onto the competition!”
- Eric Kauzlarich

Last Updated August 15, 2009