The Imminent Dissolution of Team 2065

[Spartan151]

As you all have probably figured out now, I’m Sean, captain of Team 2065. Now, for this 2009 season, things have taken a spiral downward. You may not know (unless you’re attending the Bayou Regional), but 2065 did not make the payment deadlines for this season on time. More to the point, we were about $5500 short, after all of our sponsors backed out completely. This is a big problem.

Moreover, our team is all but destroyed. Last year, we lost half of the people who actually did the work for the team, which turned out to be a more crippling blow than we had imagined it would be. The new recruits, I thought, were going to be hopeful. Well, over the series of three orientation meetings, that number dropped from 50 to about 8. So really, only 8 new members joined, and even after that, we lost 2. So quick recap for you: about 8 original team members left, then plus 8, then minus 6. This means we now have 14.

I thought at one time these hopeful members would prove me wrong, as the general mold was that there was a select group that did something, while the rest just kind of milled around and did nothing every meeting. That lasted for about 3 meetings, so a week and a half. Then it began to end up like it was. It was only amplified by the new coach (who replaced our old coach when she left to start a team at Holly Springs High School) actually giving in to that. For example, there was a week in which we were supposed to be preparing presentations and information for our sponsors and possible sponsors, and needing to make repairs to our ’08 robot (after catastrophic damage was done to our internal systems) for the Rockwell Automation Fair. Well, a few of us were, mainly the drive team (Not our field of expertise). It just so happened that after about 10 minutes of working on it that we looked around for our secretary and new programmer. Well, what do you suppose we saw? We found them, along with the rest of the team, watching a movie at the front of the room, with our coach watching as well (she was the only one who could set the projector up). Albeit I didn’t say anything, but I don’t exactly believe that watching a movie after not doing much to begin with is a good thing to do during crunch time. You may disagree with me on that, but to each his own, I suppose. We got the stuff done, though. Barely.

I know there are going to be some people who will suggest that I should start becoming strict, but I’ll tell you this: my title of captain is nothing more than that. A title. I used to be able to enforce these rules and help my coach keep the team together and spirited, but that was when the old coach was still there. I can’t do that anymore without basically being chewed out for it. So I can’t even say anything to them anymore.

Needless to say, our team is all but gone. During our meetings now, it’s mainly the chief engineer and myself, trying to come up with ideas to create things with the parts that we have. Nothing is really left. Most of the senior members that I know of are planning to merge with the new team. That’s fine. But the team won’t qualify as a rookie anymore.
When you have a rather poor school, parents who really don’t give two cents about the school in the first place, and a student body who is obsessed with athletics over education and such, there’s not much you can do. Now, this is my senior year, so after this it’s out of my hair. Maybe after college I’ll mentor a team. That would be good. So I guess I can tell you all, with a sad heart, that Team 2065, unless they receive new life next year, is dead.

Sincerely, the soon-to-be former captain of 2065 (’09 baby!!!),

Sean Maness