I can relate with this a lot. It seems just like yesterday when I found about FIRST.
I remembering meeting Taylor (the head coach) for the first time when they were exhibiting their 2009 robot in for the school orientation. I heard a testimonial from a fellow senior and a recommendation from the team itself, but that was all I went by. The team met after schools on Wednesdays, which was inconvenient for me because at the time, I was running cross-country (quite horribly, I must add). The meetings didn't become as much as priority to me and I missed a quite a few. Eventually, the season built up to the 2010 kickoff. I thought that was nothing. After the kickoff, I still wasn't convinced, but I got a glimpse into what the building season was. I didn't get to do much (moreortheless learn the names of the tools
), however, I saw the dedication that our seniors and team leader had into getting the robot made. 1529 then made the first trip to the DC regional, and while we kind of blundered there, the other teams really opened my eyes. I would give my life to shake hands with all these teams, because they taught me a valuable lesson.
I felt like I lived in a contained world then. I saw that I live in a world of kids that want to learn, like me.