[Al Skierkiewicz]

My first competition was the Motorola Midwest Regional in 1997. My son invited my wife and I to come and see what he had been working on. Up to that time I had only been involved with the video team ('96 & '97) and had never seen the robot up close. I couldn't believe how loud and exciting the regional was. I think there were only about 30 teams present. Lot's of people in strange uniforms/t-shirts. Sometime on the second day, the robot developed an electrical problem and my son asked me to come to the pits and help. (my first introduction to a student drilling into a tube that contains wiring) That robot is the one John V has a his picture in front of in his bio. I didn't go to nationals that year, but I have been on the team and in the pits ever since.