Our rookie season taught us many lessons. First and foremost, the competitiveness as the events was amazing. The energy between the teams and contestants was contagious, and it made them very fun. More importantly, however, everyone at the events was so helpful. They were always willing to jump in and lend a hand. It’s clear that the community truly values the idea of equal competition, understanding that it’s more fun when teams are equally matched.

 

Secondly, the workshops and resources available to new teams made a big difference for our group. Other coaches were always willing to assist, but it was especially great when their students stepped in to help ours. That peer to peer coaching was very powerful. Our community is full of generous people, so it wasn’t very surprising that businesses were willing to step in and help, but I did enjoy how excited they were about the prospect of a robotics team.

 

And finally, I learned that robotics is addicting. My team members were hooked from the beginning: the learning, the people, the challenge, and the competition really got them involved. It’s great that our parents were excited too; I think that the kids’ enthusiasm really helped to build parental involvement.