It's more than just a robot-Part 2

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about my son's competition robotics team.  About how he came home one day and told me he wanted to join, and I had no idea what I was in for.

Now, two years later, the phrase "It's more than just a robot" hits home more than I ever thought it would.  This year is the last year my son will be a part of Team 4935.  I watched him grow from a wide eyed 13 year old who had no idea what he was doing, to a confident 17 year old who amazes me every time I look at him.  I look at his teammates, seeing how they have grown so much.

Our First Season with Team T-Rex

Our Final Bag Day

I never knew how big of a piece of my heart these kids would take.  I signed on to be "team mom" and be that person who could give a ride home when needed and bring snacks.  I ended up being so much more.  These kids enrich my life.  They make me humble.  They make me proud. They break my heart.  I love them each in their own unique way, and I would do absolutely anything for them.

The 2018 season just came to an end this past weekend and it, by far, was the most bittersweet of them all.  This year was the first year that I was a formal Mentor for the team and in charge of a group of students.  I would get so damn frustrated at them for not showing up.  Not getting things done. Not calling or texting if they weren't going to be at a meeting. I watched my group of 10-12 students slowly dwindle to 3-4 that were consistent. That I could count on.  It made me so sad, because I saw such potential in them.  But the problem was, I wanted it MORE for them than they wanted it for THEMSELVES.  It's hard to take a step back and make someone care about something as much as you do.

Over the past couple of years I have had a couple of kids that I grew very close to make life choices that caused them to leave the team. I hated to see how teenage drama could derail someone from something they loved, but I get it.  I get how the teenage heart can feel something so much more deeply than we realize sometimes, and I remember how EVERYTHING seemed to be amplified.  It doesn't hurt any less that they made those decisions though.

This season especially hit me in my feels because it had the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.  The kids started out with an idea that they felt would work, and stuck to their guns.  Unfortunately, as is the case with so many things, the best laid plans and all....... We bagged an incomplete robot and had to scramble to get something, ANYTHING ready for competition.  We competed in our first event and did better than we ever thought we would do throughout the day.  Then, in the semifinals, we fizzled.  Our next event? More of the same.  But this time, this time the judges saw something wonderful.  Our group of Coders, including my son, had come up with something that warranted recognition.  We won the Innovation in Control award, and I have never seen so much emotion. These kids held each other. They cried. They laughed. And they were prouder of each other than I ever thought possible.  Me? My heart soared and broke at the same time.  My son's father has NEVER seen him compete.  And here it is, his Senior year, his last year on the team and he won an award that was the most important thing in his young life. He told me that he was glad his mentors were there to see it, because it meant more to him than having his biological father there.

Emotion after winning Innovation in Control

The kids took a chance and wanted to go for broke.  They modified the award winning design, and unfortunately things did not go according to plan.  They worked as hard and as much as they could, but it was too late.  Seeing the hope in their eyes when we started the weekend fade into bitter defeat was heartbreaking.  Knowing that this was their last competition together after being with each other for 4 years, made it even more difficult.  They wanted to go out with a bang, and they barely went out with a whimper. The tears, the recriminations, the anger..... it came from adults and students.  We gave them the chance to do what THEY wanted, and it didn't work out the way anyone wanted it to.

But, that's how you learn.  Losing can be just as beneficial as winning, even more so in my opinion.  Life isn't about winning. Life is about learning.  And being a part of a robotics team has taught me more of that than I ever thought possible.  I have watched these kids grow up together.  Work together. Play together. Love each other. Suffer heartbreak with each other. Experience joy with each other. We got together to build a robot.  We ended up building a family.

If you have a chance, get out there and SEE an FRC event.  Volunteer.  Find a local team and support them in any way you can. FIRST has so many positions that need to be filled and volunteering will give you a chance to see how absolutely amazing this program is. You will see the minds of tomorrow working together without barriers, without bigotry, without fear, to make something incredible. 

We are Family. We are T-Rex.

Team Photo 2018