The beginning of the year is always a busy time for robotics teams. Between making game plans, establishing roles, and preparing for the build season, there is always something to do in order to ensure a successful year ahead. This Wednesday, Oct. 23, marked an important moment in this process for the CHS Zebrotics team, as members gathered to watch the announcement of the challenge they will be facing for the next several months. This fall, the team is competing in a league called Washtenaw Area Pick Up Robotics (WAPUR), before they tackle the official worldwide FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) starting in January. As always, the beginning of the season inspires a range of emotions in the team, from hope and excitement to anxiety and doubt.
Of all the people gathered around the whiteboard or scattered in chairs across the room, only a couple were new faces to Zebrotics. Four or five freshmen had signed up, but just two had come to the meeting. Still, those present felt hopeful for the year and were eager to use some of the skills they had developed in the pre-season. For Griffin Whiteside, a freshman at CHS, the kickoff of the competition presented an exciting opportunity to finally see how robotics teams do what they do.
“I’m looking forward to getting to see how strategies play out against each other, and how competing strategies develop,” Whiteside said. “It feels like it’s a lot more chaotic and fast-paced than I expected, but I kind of like it. Everyone seems to be able to adapt to new scenarios so easily.”
The coming season is a hopeful one for Zebrotics. Last year marked their best-ever performance in FRC, and the team hopes to follow it up with an even stronger one this time. Moments like this meeting allow the team to take stock of their strengths and weaknesses and make a plan for the next few months. Lu Bliss, a CHS junior, has high hopes for the team and is determined to make them a reality.
Bliss has been a member of Zebrotics for all three of his years, and has earned the position of electrical team lead. He has seen years of freshman come and seniors graduate, and thinks that this year is shaping up to be a good follow-up to the last. New enrollment has held strong, and despite concerns about funding and organization, Bliss is optimistic for the future.
“When I first started, we were kind of struggling, and we didn’t have any stuff. We didn’t have people, no one did electrical, and it wasn’t very good,” Bliss said. “But now we have more people, and we’re amazing. We’re totally going to win it all.”
For everyone, there is much to look forward to next year in Zebrotics. The build season has officially begun, bringing hard work and excitement with it. Whether the season goes as planned or not remains to be seen, but one way or another Wednesday’s kickoff will be the start of it all.
