[saikiranra]

Until the beginning of last season, we were a "decent" team that consistently made it into quarter-finals and went to Nationals once.

A couple of months before the 2012 season began, our long time mentor left us and we "acquired " a new mentor. This new mentor was a graduate from our high school who was on the team 11 years ago. After high school, he went to college becoming a mentor for another team who "practiced" excellence. He got inspired by the standard of their robots and their frequent trips to Nationals.

Our current mentor became a teacher at our high school, teaching a technology literacy class in 2011. After our old mentor moved, our new one took the reigns of our "decent" program and steered us to a different path. He showed us excellence and made us strive for it by passing his fervor to us students.

Since then, our program has taken off. Although the ball just started rolling last season, our team has dramatically changed. Instead of just dreaming, we actually create, break, change, and "perfect" our ideas before committing them to our robot. We now take the time to powder coat and anodize the robot, practice clean wiring, and choose parts that not only work, but add a level of beauty.

This change of path did not only affect our robot; the whole community seemed to notice. Since then, we have gotten more sponsors, more opportunities to go to events with well known people, and more satisfaction every time we see the surprise in people's eyes or a laugh from a kid who catches a ball thrown from our robot.

I used to be one of those kids who said "Pfttt... Those guys did not build their robot. Those kids just stood around while their money and their mentors did all the real work. Those kids just had extra time and practice to drive with their superior 'bought' drive system." Now I realize that those teams were superior not because of their "mentor built" robots or their money: They all had a fire in their belly that did not allow them to settle with "decent." Their money and mentors followed their success, due to the kids and their mentor who brought the message of excellence.

Although we, as a team, are not yet to the level of teams such as 1114, 254, 1717, or 330, I hope to be there when we "achieve" that excellence.