Sunday, February 27, 2011

Dorky? Only a Little

Honestly, we're not as dorky as the first post (written by Nate Gardner) made us out to be. You don't need to be a super physics nerd or any kind of nerd to be on a robotics team. It just takes simple problem-solving skills. And also a good sense of humor, considering the fact that during the February 5th OMSI competition our robot's left motor kept going out and even produced "magic smoke" (as Nate had dubbed it). Then there's the other fact that our robot (whom I am now calling Chica) kept tipping over during the February 19th OSU competition. Despite many problems, robotics is still fun. And I say that against my better judgment, seeing as how I still think it's the nerdiest, dorkiest sport ever, but that's only because whenever I say, "I'm in robotics," people think I build robots to fight with other robots in a ring.



Truthfully, when Nate suggested robotics to me, I shunned it immediately. Then the OMSI competition came up and he invited me to come and cheer him on, which I was okay with. However, his team members couldn't make it to the competition, so he recruited me at the last second. I am a normal person, I have no unnatural interest in science, physics, math, or programming. I thought Nate was insane for recruiting a person with no experience and no nerdy abilities. And yet, it was extremely fun and doable. I didn't have to do any of the programming, I mainly focused on robot maintenance (making sure all the wires are secure and tucked away, and all the screws are tight), carrying the robot, and standing completely quiet next to Nate while he talked to the judges. I basically became a member overnight.

So, although Nate's "FIRST" post looks as if he's applying to college rather than talking to his peers, this really is a great sport for teens. It is not harsh or mean, but it still is really competitive in a fun way. When Chica refused to get done in time for inspection, almost one member for each team present at the OMSI competition stopped working on their own robots to come help Nate and me, which enabled us to be able to compete.

Okay, maybe we're a crazy train on the loose (as our name suggests), but we're a crazy train having fun and there's nobody that can stop us. So join the crazy today. ;-D (I hope that didn't sound like too much of a cheesey commercial...)

~Member #3 (formerly known as Member #4)

4 comments:

  1. You're member number three, and there are two more members coming up. BWAHHAHAHAHA!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh yeah one of em is the previous member #3. I think?

    So confusing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I demand that my picture be taken off of the facebook page! Evidence of my participation shall not be public...

    ReplyDelete

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