Inspection Stories

[kstl99]

For the first time I volunteered to be an inspector at the NE Utilities Regional in Connecticut. It was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. All the teams I dealt with were pleasant and respectful. I would like to hear stories from inspectors about their experiences. Two stories stick out in my mind.

Right after the pits opened on Thursday we checked robot bags and signed the papers so that teams could unbag their robots. Then we went around and did an unofficial check of the bumpers, knowing that had been an issue this year. The first thing I noticed on one rookie team's bumpers was that they had parts of the bumpers with the plywood shorter than 8 inches. This meant that they had to remake four sections. Later in the day when they were ready for full inspection I noticed that they were about 1 inch too high. Although I could understand the frustration for the mentor who had been told by someone before they bagged the robot that it should pass, the students tore the bumpers apart again and got it done. I returned later to apologize for not completely inspecting the bumpers the first time. Friday, one of the students thanked me for helping them and introduced me to her school's principal. Saturday the lead mentor was looking forward to off-season events and planning for next year. In spite of the long hard first day the students I talked to told me that they learned a lot, enjoyed the experience and were looking forward to next year.

Another team that had a long Thursday was an inner-city team from New York city that had a recent alumni of the team who had returned when he heard they had no other mentors. I had not inspected them but was asked if I could help them with some ideas of how they could get their robot to pass. After working all day Thursday they were able to get their sticker first thing Friday morning and did not miss a match. At the end of the event they found me and thanked me for helping them.

Sorry these ended up like books but helping teams through the process and seeing them able to compete are some of the reasons I will probably volunteer again.