[Ken Leung]

Very interesting question, one I've asked myself many times since my leaving of team 192 Gunn Robotics Team from Palo Alto, California. Back in my time, wanting to go around helping other teams was some what against the philosophy of that time, a time when teams only work for themselves and for themselves only. The year 2001 changed a lot of that culture into a coporative culture.

So I thought about it, and decided for the 2002 season, Team 100 would be my team, and that was the best choice I've made. I got along with their student leader really well, and I got to know a lot of their parents and advisors really well. Extremely inspiring experience over all. I learned that there is no one way to run a team, and different school and background demand a different robotics team to benefit the students the most. But anyway...

Lots of Northern California Teams are not well known by the outside community, but as a whole, we are a strong group. There are lots of teams I want to work with, not to leech off of their accomplishment or glory, but to learn from them, and have a wonderful experience with a group of great adults and students.

Team 100: I would work with this team again just because of the advisors on the team. Arlene Kolber has been a long mentor for that team, and no matter how much hardship the team has to face, she and the team always pull through with an operating robot and going to different regionals. Adult advisors come and go, but it proves to me this is a good model for any self-sustaining team. Starting last year, team 100 is very much an important factor in California Robot Games when their high school started hosting the event.

Other than this team, there are lots of strong bay area teams I want to work with... Team 115 Monta Vista Robotics Team, Team 840 Aragon Robotics Team, and Team 852 Athenian Robotics, Team 1120 Milpitas Xtreme Robotics, Team 1151 The Hitchhikers.... They all have very cool people who aren't well known to the rest of the community, but who says you need to be well known to be cool? Each of those team will teach me a lot about working with people and shows me how they are solving the ultimate problem for their school: How do we educate and inspire our students? And in return, I will be giving to the teams all my FIRST experience and my self as a problem solver. I think that's the only way for people to have healthy relationships, both sides has to gain from the relationship.

I encourage everyone to think about this question before they say what teams they want to join: What do you really want out of the experience? I think I know, but do you?

Speaking of well known, I am VERY surprised no one has mentioned team 980 the Thunderbots. Not only did they went out to IRI from Southern California, they WON the event and seeded very high at the qualifying rounds. That team was wonderful at their rookie year of 2002 with one of the best ball handling robot I've seen, and they come back to 2003 and surprised everyone with that light saber robot with the giant arm, and even better during the 2004 season with a very competitive robot and an awesome autonomous mode. As far as I am concern, they grew tremedously since their rookie year, faster than anyone I've ever seen.