Let the Games Begin!
Written by Anthony J. Castorina on January 04, 2003
On Saturday, January 4, 2003 several students, teachers, and engineers convened at Shelton High School for the annual January Kickoff for the robotics team. Mr. Schmecker, an advisor to the team, set up a projection screen to view the live broadcast of the unveiling of the 2003 game. Live from The Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, Dr. Woodie Flowers, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, walked the audience through an animated presentation created by David Lavery.
Inside of the arena Dr. Flowers, emcee of the FIRST kickoff, related very important information in regards to the game itself. A ramp made to scale was used to explain the do?s and don?ts of the competition, as well as make the specifics of the game more tangible. The object is to build a robot capable of pushing, stacking, and defending containers, products of Sterilite�, in a matter of minutes.
For the remainder of Saturday and Sunday the team joined together to begin preparations. Everyone diligently began to work, strategizing the best possible scenarios. Many committees were formed to carry out different tasks. One group had the demanding task of recreating the ramp to scale, while another was in charge of creating a mini model to visualize maneuvers.
Several hours were put in that weekend in order to ensure that these next six weeks of rigorous work will prove rewarding for the team. The Gaelhawks Team 230, will be competing in three competitions: The UTC New England Regional in Hartford; The Philadelphia Regional at Drexel University in Philadelphia; and the FIRST National Competiton in Houston, Texas at Reliant Park.
