Vanden Robotics

     Even though we are one team, we are made up of numerous individuals. Individuals who have worked with the banswaw so many times, they can saw with it blindfolded (note: that was a meant to be a joke. ALWAYS use safety goggles when working with dangerous equipment!) and individuals who are just starting to learn the concepts. We all have opinions no matter who we are, including opinions about what FIRST means to us. Here are some short articles from a few formers members of our team explaining what FIRST means to us.

But first! What is a FIRSTer?

     FIRSTer is a term we made up to define a member of a robotics team, a member that not only works for his/her fellow teammates but for the rest of the world in spreading the knowledge and meaning of FIRST. We classify teams that work hard not only on the game field but also in the community of FIRSTers. FIRSTers show a strong love for the work they do and that love influences them to do extraordinary things.

Troy's Story:

     My name is Troy Weber. 6 years ago in high school, I was in Vanden's robotics class/club, which is how I became involved in FRC. I was only in this robotics class my senior year because the previous three years had been packed with other electives that I falsely deemed more important.

    Nevertheless, one year of robotics was enough to impact all of my future decisions. One of the most exciting moments in that class was when the Inventor model of our robot for the 2009 FRC season (into which I and a couple other students invested many hours) was selected as one of the top five national entries in the 2009 Inventor Design Competition. The VEX competition that Vanden hosted in late 2008 and the occasional tastes I received of electrical, programming, and manufacturing work are also among the most valued moments I experienced that year.

    Now I reside in the dorms at California Polytechnic State University. My major is mechanical engineering. From there, I hope to later go in to the field of mechatronics and pursue a career in robotics.

    I am also involved in the robotics club here at Cal Poly. I did not become involved in any projects in my first quarter, but this quarter the club president selected me to be in charge of our newly established CL Smith Robotics Program. Every Tuesday, three robotics college students and myself team up with an adult mentor and go to C.L. Smith Elementary, San Luis Obispo, to teach a selected group of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders about robotics using LEGO Mindstorm kits and EV3 kits.

      I would also like to attract some of the other robotics club members to join me in mentoring local high school teams (such as those in Atascedero or Arroyo Grande), or even in starting one here at San Luis Obispo's high school (if there is not a team already).

     Before I was involved in FIRST, I thought I was going to pursue a career in civil engineering, or even architecture at the least. Now I know I won't be as content in any career as I will be in robotics. So, if your question is whether or not FIRST has impacted me, I would say yes, yes it has. None of the accomplishments I previously mentioned would have occured as recently as they have if I had not been involved in FIRST for even that one measly year. This is why I intend to be an active supporter of FIRST for the remainder of my life.

As written: January 2010 by Troy Weber, 2009 Alumni

My FIRST Story:

     For me personally, FIRST has molded the things I enjoy into a career opportunity. It began when I was preparing to go to middle school. I was taking a LEGO robotics program over the summer because I enjoyed playing with LEGOs. The program was fun; we built very simple robots and programmed them by using a very simple interface. At the end of the summer, the robotics team from Vanden came down and demonstrated their robot from that year.

     I was amazed as they hung such a large robot from such a small basketball hoop at our school. They explained how everything worked and it seemed extremely complicated at the time. Intrigued, I had to learn more, so I joined the GATE LEGO program at the middle school to continue learning about these amazing robots and eventually I had the opportunity to come to the high school and join in the robotics team. I dove right in.