[AJCaliciuri]

As the Judges of the 2010 FIRST Championships in Atlanta, GA, said, FIRST Team 1305 put the criminals on ice.

We were heading back to our hotel Thursday after competition. As it was tax season, our bus driver opted to take a back road back to the hotel. While driving this back road, team members noticed something out of the ordinary: a brightly coloured FIRST FRC trailer. Who would have their trailer in an auto recycling yard? It was Team 1730’s trailer, Team Driven. We knew something was up, we were staying at the same hotel as them.

When we got back to the hotel, police were there. Team 1730 members were speaking to them, looking visibly distraught. Immediately our 2010 captain, Alex Wilcox, went to talk to them. And so ensued the race back to the auto recycling yard. I remember that Alex wasn't even that the team meeting that night, too busy with the police trying to locate the trailer. A few other
mentors and members also went, along with Team Driven, to find it. It was probably the most memorable thing that ever happened on any of the World Championship trips.

Team 1730 got their trailer back, much due to the fact that we’d spotted it. A few of us watched as the police drew their weapons and stormed the property. As it turned out, the suspects were part of an illegal drug ring who were on the run from the police for a prior arrest warrant. 1305 felt a bit like a team of super heros that day, but we were only doing the right thing. If it
had been our trailer, we would have only hoped some other team would do the same.

The Missouri team thought their trailer was "gone forever or probably all torn up" said team mentor Clint Ott. The next day, Team 1730 came to our pit, presenting their “Pass It Along” award. A team award, it is given to team who does something nice for another team, and the recpients then pass it along to another team who helps them. Since then, we passed it to FIRST Team 1241,
THEROY6, from Mississauga, ON. This award truly emulates the attitude of FIRST Robotics.

In recognition of this act, among others, we were awarded the Gracious Professionalism Award by the judges at the Championship. It was an awesome way to end my first year on the team.