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It was actually funny how I got involved. Around the time of the 2000 nationals, the team at my school was wearing their t-shirts, which say FEDS on the back in large letters. Naturally, I was curious as to what FEDS meant, so I asked a friend of mine what her shirt meant. She explained to me what FEDS stood for (Falcon Engineering and Design Solutions) and said it was for the Robotics team, and that they were going to Disney World the next day for the national competition. I thought it was pretty cool, but didn't think any more of it until the next year.
The next fall, I saw posters all around the school, advertising the success and fun of the robotics team. I thought back to my conversation the previous April, and decided to drop by at the informational meeting the next day.
As it turned out, the team was just gearing up for OCCRA, the Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association, then in its first season. We took second place in the league, and I got a taste of what robotics was all about, and was all fired up for FIRST.
We built the robot, and went to two regionals (W. Mich and Great Lakes) and Nationals. Even though we didn't do spectacularly, I had such a great experience that I couldn't wait to come back. I spent the whole summer in robotics withdrawl, but now that OCCRA is in full swing for the second year, I'm off to a great start for a second year with the FEDS. I can't wait for FIRST to come around again!
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