Well lets see. Just to start, I am a girl. This is my second year on the HHS Robotics Team #698, and I've been told I'm one of the top kids in the class/club. Last year, I was the secretary, and this year I am the press correspondant (I did run for President though).
I think alot of girls that join robotics teams are looked down on, but that seems to end once they prove themselves. Sometimes it just takes a year to fall into it and get adjusted. Last year's AZ Regional was my shining moment. I really started to learn how everything worked,
did work, and now I'm having a blast. I am a member of our Drive Train Team, and I spend all my time in the shop machining, building, wiring, you name it. They even call me the "Robo Chick."
I do believe that some girls are in the sport for the wrong reasons, but sometimes it takes time for them to realize that it's not for them. Instead of looking down on them, give them something to do! If they really don't want to do it, then they will leave, otherwise, you may just end up with another amazing team member full of talent. I've made a ton of friends that I will keep for life, and I've learned so much along the way. Every day I wake up the first thing that pops into my mind is "How long until I get to robotics class?!" It might sound corny, but by far, this is the most fun I've ever had and I love to get my hands greasy and get cut up. I'm a tom-boy, yes, but this is what I love to do. I am accepted by the both the boys and the girls on the team alike, and I love what I do.
We have about 20 kids in our robotics class, and an additional 10 or so in the club, but about 20 of us are hard core and show up everyday to build and work. Out of these 30 members, we only have 5 or 6 girls on the team, myself included. Most of them are hard working, and I know one of them is very into the animation and she wants to make a career out of it. She contributes to us greatly in that way. Another is on the Drive Team with me, and two of them work with our pneumatics systems. The other girls work on various projects, but both do a great deal of building and construction. Overall, most of the girls that join and discover that they are not interested leave within the first couple months of the school year. So by the time build season rolls around, anyone that doesn't really want to work won't show up again or has quit a long time before. The same goes for the boys.
In the end, we all seem to look at each other and regard each other the same. If you work and hold up your position, then you are a great asset to the team, otherwise, maybe it's not your thing and you need to find something else to do. Robotics isn't a cheerleader's club, but cheerleaders are welcome to join. On our team, it is everyone's individual responsibility to check their egos at the door, come in with a positive attitude, and be willing to work.
Girls are tough, we can do what the boys can do, and don't ever expect us to just sit in the corner and sweep.
By the way? How is your robot coming along? It's the end of week two. Our robot's base and drive system is fully assembled and it runs under power. It is complete except for additional programming and the arm. Good luck to you all!
