Starting the Season Off Right

Every year, FIRST holds a competition kickoff in January to let every team in on the big secret that has been kept from them for months ? what the new game will be. While this kickoff may be one important day in the course of a year, for Shelton High School Robotics Team 230 this is certainly not the beginning. By the time January rolls around, the Gaelhawks have been involved in multiple activities, including fundraisers, community events, and off-season competitions. The team, therefore, marks the beginning of each new season with its own kickoff, where it welcomes new members and sets the ball rolling for the coming year.

This year?s Team Season Kickoff was held on Tuesday, October 26, 2004, in the high school?s Media Center. The room was filled with new and veteran members, their parents, and the team?s mentors/teachers, engineers from various corporate businesses and companies. There had been team meetings prior to the kickoff, but this was where it all began. Everyone was eager to hear what plans the team had for the 2004-2005 competition season. Mr. Louis Schmecker was the first to take the microphone, going through an overview of the team and the year ahead. New members were shown the importance of commitment to the team, and the benefits of spending their time at robotics wisely.

Mr. John Niski also spoke to the crowd, touching upon the competitions and the excitement that comes from being involved with FIRST. Mr. Rick Vogl and Mrs. Tracy Hussey discussed two of the events that the team would be participating in over the next few months?the Bridgeport Local Lego League Regional, sponsored by Teams 230 and 1099, and the Dinner and Auction, the team?s annual fundraiser. Before the end of the night, every team member would be overwhelmed by the multitude of activities the team gets involved in before the season even starts.

The Team Season Kickoff has always been a great way to start the new season on the right track, and this year?s was no different. Every team member left that night excited about the coming season and counting down the days until the competition kickoff.