In 2017, I was a freshman in high school.
My parents heard about a family that was moving back from out of the country, and they their family was looking to start a team here.
Initially, I didn’t really understand what it was about, so my parents encouraged me to pursue it.
Then Kickoff for the 2018 season came around, and I was hooked. I mean I was really hooked.
I started off on the mechanical team, where I was figuring out what CAD was and really how things go together in a robust way.
The season ended, and we were the highest-ranked rookie team in our San Diego region.
Then I led the mechanical team for the 2019 season, where we actually won the San Diego Regional.
I was the team captain for the 2020 season. I put in my mental reps that summer and learned a lot about how to lead a team, and what to focus on and what not to focus on.
I put in ~300 hours that season, and we had a bot that could do the balanced climb which was practically all you needed to win in the earlier weeks. It could also shoot the balls into the high goal, which was a huge plus.
We didn’t get to compete because of BOVID-19. We went undefeated: 0-0-0.
I was the team captain for the following season, and really focused on making training materials for the new members. I also made a lot of videos to help them understand the game and how to play it.
I was finally moving on at this point… it was a bittersweet moment. I had been with the team for 4 years, and I didn’t have a satisfying success to end on. But this honestly might have been better because it is still driving me to prove myself as an engineer and leader.
I am still best friends with many of my teammates, and am eternally grateful for the experience. Go NOMAD!