Written By: Medha G, Charlotte S, Ben R, Dylan C
Monday 2/12
The open room was packed as we kicked yet another robotics week off. Many of our members were scattered about trying to finish small tasks on the robot, such as reassembling the intake. Today was also a day for teaching freshmen, as the majority of them got to learn new and exciting things. Progress also continued on the practice bumper where it was nearing completion. Monday was quite productive, to top it all off, we got to have a very fancy Chicken Curry dish that was made by some mentors and our two captains Dylan and Paul. Thanks all!
We also had a marketing meeting. Today, we worked on buying our new merch and updating the website while continuing to email companies about potential sponsorships and demos. Keep up the great work marketing!
Tuesday 2/13
Today was the end of an era. After weeks of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, we finally finished our robot, Cronus. Today, we finished the CAN system and as soon as the room started, we were able to finish the robot within an hour. As soon as we finished it, we focused a lot on how the robot picks up and ejects this year’s game piece. We also wanted to celebrate the completion of our robot so we made a robot reveal reel on Instagram (frc_2502 – check us out!). To get ready for our upcoming fundraiser this Thursday, we had a fundraising meeting.
Today was also a very busy day because we had a TEAM MEETING! Everyone was able to reunite for the weekly meeting, at which, we highlighted announcements and celebrated achievements that we have made throughout the past week.
Wednesday 2/14
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! After finishing the robot, the captains decided that the team should have a much-needed day off. However, some of our team members needed some additional hours, insisting that they work to finish the bumpers. Luckily, a couple of our mentors were willing to open the room for us to continue working. Thank you, mentors! So, the open room was much quieter and was filled with bumpers, snowmen, cookies, and Medha’s (Interesting) music. In addition, we had an Awards meeting, where the team submitted our IMPACT essay and continued to write the script for our IMPACT presenters.
“In awards we did awarding things.”
Nolan P, Business Captain
Thanks, Nolan for that amazing analysis ☝️
Meet The Mentor (2/15)
Who are you?
- My name is Lisa Lamothe.
What is a fun fact about you?
- I love paddle boarding.
Why did you choose to mentor Talon Robotics?
- Riley. Riley was two years old when he discovered robotics. His uncle was on the robotics team. Growing up, Riley went to all his matches and tournaments and he was counting down the days until he could join robotics. So as soon as fourth grade started, we were enrolled and I’ve been mentoring ever since.
What is your favorite part of mentoring Talon?
- Seeing what you guys can accomplish that I didn’t think was possible. You guys amaze me all the time.
Quiz time! Who is the oldest captain?
- I know this. It’s paul. I remember they all turned 16 around the same time and they were all practicing for their drivers test. Paul was the first one to be out there practicing so I knew that he took his test before the other boys.
Ding Ding Ding that’s correct. Very impressive.
What advice would you give future robotics kids?
- Don’t be afraid, afraid to try something different, to try something new or to try something that you don’t know anything about. You’re going to learn a ton and you’re going to gain not only skills but also confidence.
What advice would you give mentors?
- Let the kids lead.
Thank you so much for talking to me Lisa!
Lisa’s impact
Medha, Student Member
Medha, what does Lisa do on the team?
“Lisa does a little bit of everything. She’s kind of a stabilizer, but her main focus is doing anything she can to support us students so we only ever have to worry about the robot. She organizes food and dinners, comes to open the room early to open the door ASAP, and mainly, acts as a positive beacon, making sure everyone on the team has a role. She’s amazing at talking to new students, making them feel welcome and secure, and gauging their interests to make sure they have a role on the team they enjoy. She’s always laughing, and helping any way she can, and open room could not run the same without her.”
Vonnie, Scouting & Strategy Lead
Vonnie, how has Lisa helped you on the team?
“Lisa encouraged me to try out for scouting and strategy lead. She empowers the girls to be involved in building. She wants everyone in the room to try something new and helps newer members feel included in the team.”
Culver’s Fundraiser! 2/15
Here’s an extra for Thursday! Our Fundraising team works very hard to provide additional funds for our team, on the 15th, Talon partnered with our local Culver’s to host a three-hour fundraiser. At the event, team members worked as servers. In turn, the team got a portion of the proceeds. The entire evening was a huge success, a special thanks to everyone who supported the team!
Friday 2/16
Week zero! A practice competition where we give our new robot and drive team a test run on the field for real. It’s pretty low stakes, but we spent all of the room today trying to get ready for it. We all, after much lifting and manual labor, set up the field with all the components. The main goal today was to get an Autonomous up and running. An autonomous is the first portion of a game where the robot is coded to do certain challenges in order to earn points, and we were trying our best to code one today. This was also a big day to get our new banded drive team, formed last Sunday, out for a spin. There were also Notes, this year’s game piece, flying around EVERYWHERE as our new Human Player practiced for the game. But even that made the room a lot more fun.
Saturday 2/17
On Saturday Cronus finally got to see some action as Talon traveled to St.Michael-Albertsville for a full day of practice. Binary Battalion’s week 0 event allowed the team to see how Cronus faired against the odds of Crescendo.
All-in-all the entire day was a huge success, minus the fact that Cronus didn’t have an auto. The team was able to average about 7 note cycles for all matches. Cronus had very few mechanical breaks and no electrical breaks. We climbed multiple times and passed inspection. While the event didn’t have a set match schedule, we did get to play many skirmishes back-to-back.
Sunday 2/18
one word- PRACTICE! That’s all that happened in our room on Sunday. Programmers were able to work on the robot, but the majority of Sunday was spent practicing. All in all, the day was a quick six hours and our drivers got plenty of practice in!
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