-SeoYoung
Saturday, March 31, 2012
How FIRST has impacted my life!
I heard about the Flying Platypi last summer when I was back home in Korea. 'Robot' was not a familiar subject for me until then, so I took interest in what the team actually does to build a robot. I was also not sure of whether I should join since I have never dealth with robots, and building a robot for the entire year would wear me out. However, when I visited the team after coming back to North Carolina, I was surprised that the team builds the robot in one season and prepares for building and the competition in the off-season period. I was also amazed that the team not only builds the robot but also does outreach events, volunteers, and does other activities not involving the actual building of the robot. It gave me a strong impression of how the team members expressed their comments about the team that FIRST has played a huge role in their lives. I have never had such a strong passion for something I did in the past, so their enthusiasm made me want to join the team since I wanted to share their fervor and excitement, and experience different fields involving science and technology. So far, I really enjoy being part of the team and being involved with the team activities. The Peachtree (Georgia) competition our team went to was my first competition and I had so much fun in every single part of it: driving down, the actual competition, meeting new people and many others. Currently, being involved in this team as a FIRST student is helping me to meet new people out of school, learn different areas of STEM and grow personal enthusiasm towards the team and all the activities. I am very excited about how Team 2655 will shape my high school career, communication abilities and interest in different fields of STEM.
-SeoYoung
-SeoYoung
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Preparing for the North Carolina Regional
This week, the week after we returned from the Peachtree regional in Georgia, the team has been preparing for our next regional, the North Carolina regional. We only had certain things that needed to be worked on and could be done without the actual robot (which was bag and tagged again at the end of the Peachtree regional).
Mechanical worked on a new design for the arm that would be able to lower the bridge, so that we could not only get balls that are on the bridge at the beginning of the match onto our side of the field but also so we can balance on the bridge in the last 30 seconds of each match.
Programming worked on working out kinks in the programming code which were inhibiting the robots ability to function at the highest of its ability. They have been working out problems with the code since we returned from Georgia.
Marketing has been working since the minute we returned; picking up with all the stuff that needed to be done between the two regionals. Marketing has been working on a different way to scout at the North Carolina regional. They also have been working on various other things that continue all year round whether it is during build season or not, like robot demonstrations.
There were some problems that became apparent at our first regional which we have spent this week and will be spending a few days next week, before we go to the North Carolina regional, working on. We are also continuing our community demonstrations.
Here we come, North Carolina regional!
Mechanical worked on a new design for the arm that would be able to lower the bridge, so that we could not only get balls that are on the bridge at the beginning of the match onto our side of the field but also so we can balance on the bridge in the last 30 seconds of each match.
Programming worked on working out kinks in the programming code which were inhibiting the robots ability to function at the highest of its ability. They have been working out problems with the code since we returned from Georgia.
Marketing has been working since the minute we returned; picking up with all the stuff that needed to be done between the two regionals. Marketing has been working on a different way to scout at the North Carolina regional. They also have been working on various other things that continue all year round whether it is during build season or not, like robot demonstrations.
There were some problems that became apparent at our first regional which we have spent this week and will be spending a few days next week, before we go to the North Carolina regional, working on. We are also continuing our community demonstrations.
Here we come, North Carolina regional!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Our First Regional
Our second day at the Peachtree regional was just as fun and exciting as the first.
Our drive team worked just as hard as they did on the first day, and we saw improvement as the day went on. It was really exciting to see an all rookie drive team learn the ropes and adjust to the atmosphere of being on drive team so quickly.
The people who had scouted on Thursday and Friday complied all of the data they had collected and used it to figure out who we would want to choose to be on our alliance if we were in the top eight. When it came time for the alliance selections, our team wasn't chosen to move on but that was okay because we could cheer on the other teams who did get picked.
At the end of the day the awards were handed out, and we won the Gracious Professionalism award which we were overjoyed to win. And even though we didn't win the Chairman's award, we stood up and cheered for the team who did win, Kell Robotics.
At the end of the day, we all left to return home after a tiring, eventful weekend of fun filled robotics.
Our drive team worked just as hard as they did on the first day, and we saw improvement as the day went on. It was really exciting to see an all rookie drive team learn the ropes and adjust to the atmosphere of being on drive team so quickly.
The people who had scouted on Thursday and Friday complied all of the data they had collected and used it to figure out who we would want to choose to be on our alliance if we were in the top eight. When it came time for the alliance selections, our team wasn't chosen to move on but that was okay because we could cheer on the other teams who did get picked.
At the end of the day the awards were handed out, and we won the Gracious Professionalism award which we were overjoyed to win. And even though we didn't win the Chairman's award, we stood up and cheered for the team who did win, Kell Robotics.
At the end of the day, we all left to return home after a tiring, eventful weekend of fun filled robotics.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Our First Regional
Today was the first official day of the Peachtree regional in Georgia. We have had a ton of fun today.
Today the robot did very well, and improved in each round that we were in. We are proud of all that our all rookie drive team has done during this competition, keep up the good work! The Chairman's interview also happened today. At the end of the day we were also awarded the Website Award for our website. This was very exciting to the team and everyone who was involved in making the website happen. keep up the good work guys and girls!
The Flying Platypi would like to thank all of our sponsors and parents for supporting our team through it all. We are all having a blast, and are very excited to see what happens tomorrow!
Today the robot did very well, and improved in each round that we were in. We are proud of all that our all rookie drive team has done during this competition, keep up the good work! The Chairman's interview also happened today. At the end of the day we were also awarded the Website Award for our website. This was very exciting to the team and everyone who was involved in making the website happen. keep up the good work guys and girls!
The Flying Platypi would like to thank all of our sponsors and parents for supporting our team through it all. We are all having a blast, and are very excited to see what happens tomorrow!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
How FIRST has impacted my life!
I heard about The Flying Platypi through a bunch of friends, who always seemed to be having a blast. I joined because I knew I had an interest in stuff like this, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Shortly after I started I realized programming was fun and thankfully there are a load of mentors ready to help guide us. While I've been here, I've not only started learning how to write code, but also problem solving and how to organize it. However, one thing that really surprised me was the whole marketing aspect of the team. I've learned all about business plans and have had the pleasure of looking at crazy clothes to help market our team. On top of all this the community is great and I always feel welcome here. Overall I can't wait for my first competition and staying with the Platypi until I graduate.
-Trent
-Trent
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
How FIRST has impacted my life!
To most people in the world I’m just that weird, awkwardly funny long-haired guy, the one they call Jake. I might not be the most attractive, the smartest, or the best at anything. I can, however, say one thing with absolute certainty: FIRST is an organization which played a key part in shaping my life.
I first jumped into FIRST at age 9, attending an introductory FLL summer camp. From day one I was hooked. It was funny, for a kid who hated building with Legos I sure got a thrill from creating Lego robots. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actually snap any Legos together, but I realized how much more there was to the world of engineering. Programming, research, and the ultimate keys of teamwork and gracious professionalism coupled with a passion for Science and Technology is what drove my love for FIRST.
After 5 years of participating in FLL I couldn’t fight the bug, science was my passion. I quickly moved and participated in both FTC and FRC. I’m now a junior participating in FRC and enjoying the ride. One of the most important parts of FIRST is simply how energetic the competitions are. I’ve always been a little jittery, to say the least, but after being the team mentor during my time here I’ve felt enjoyable exhaustion. The drive and effort shown by these kids is incredible, I have no doubt we’re going to be the driving force behind the next technological breakthroughs.
I have since spread that passion for Science and technology on to other children. I have mentored an FLL team every year since I have aged out of the program. I also mentor a JFLL team at a local elementary school weekly. The changes I have seen in these kids are impressive. They quickly grasp basic engineering and teamwork principles and continually strive to improve. FIRST gives them a place to compete to see who can become the best engineer AND the best team player, a competition in which the world wins.
I don’t know where I would be without FIRST. It gave me purpose, drive, a passion for science, and ultimately helped me decide on my major: Computer Programming and Computer Science. But more important than any of that, it gave me a place to learn and implement real-world method for professional businesses.
--Jake
I first jumped into FIRST at age 9, attending an introductory FLL summer camp. From day one I was hooked. It was funny, for a kid who hated building with Legos I sure got a thrill from creating Lego robots. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actually snap any Legos together, but I realized how much more there was to the world of engineering. Programming, research, and the ultimate keys of teamwork and gracious professionalism coupled with a passion for Science and Technology is what drove my love for FIRST.
After 5 years of participating in FLL I couldn’t fight the bug, science was my passion. I quickly moved and participated in both FTC and FRC. I’m now a junior participating in FRC and enjoying the ride. One of the most important parts of FIRST is simply how energetic the competitions are. I’ve always been a little jittery, to say the least, but after being the team mentor during my time here I’ve felt enjoyable exhaustion. The drive and effort shown by these kids is incredible, I have no doubt we’re going to be the driving force behind the next technological breakthroughs.
I have since spread that passion for Science and technology on to other children. I have mentored an FLL team every year since I have aged out of the program. I also mentor a JFLL team at a local elementary school weekly. The changes I have seen in these kids are impressive. They quickly grasp basic engineering and teamwork principles and continually strive to improve. FIRST gives them a place to compete to see who can become the best engineer AND the best team player, a competition in which the world wins.
I don’t know where I would be without FIRST. It gave me purpose, drive, a passion for science, and ultimately helped me decide on my major: Computer Programming and Computer Science. But more important than any of that, it gave me a place to learn and implement real-world method for professional businesses.
--Jake
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