Mina's Perspective

Mina (our driver):

I joined the Robotics Team in my senior year. Those cute posters to join the Iron Maidens Robotics Team have a lot of persuasion!

Although I've only been on the team for a year, it definitely was an enriching and fun year. I helped create a moving robot (who we named Robert, dibs by "Grandpa" Jason) and had the opportunity to drive it in the New York and Connecticut Regionals.

Although we did not place as well as we did last year, we still had a great time. The games were intense and fast paced—although watching the whole match on a video is a different story—and there were a variety of robots at the competition. Some were shooters, others were dumpers, and the rest were pinners.

Outside of the competitions, I tightened the bond with the team and met new people from the other teams. Before the Connecticut Regional, we had a sleepover at Mindy's house where we baked snacks and played games.

A word of advice, sleep more than an hour the day before you leave for a regional out of state! Believe me, I speak from personal experience! Sleepiness however is not a factor in the robotics competition. There is too much happening around you to feel tired at all. Robotics is time consuming but it is worth the effort! As for the preparation for the robotics competition, be well organized especially with time. You never know if the robot is really finished, little kinks sometimes appear, and you need time to smooth them out.

Since this is my first and last year on the Iron Maidens, I will say that I will miss the girls a lot. I look forward to coming back to the school to see you guys again and see how the team's doing.