Mark Breadner winner of the 2007 Greater Toronto Regional WFFA and Karthik Kanagasabapathy winner of the 2007 Greater Toronto Regional Volunteer of the Year Award.
There once was a time when Mark Breadner was the lead mentor for our robotics team, and Karthik, Ian Mackenzie and I were lowly members. Back then, and even now, we were a resource-scarce team who often tried to do too much with our robot with too little. Often, the results weren’t pretty, but they worked. We worked through different eras of wood-bots, panty-hose-bots (don’t ask!), and paint-roller-bots, a tradition which even continues to this day. From 1998 to present, including this year’s robot, arguably 188’s most important robot components continue to be made from wood.
But especially through those early years, as a student, it was both tough yet inspiring to see the workmanship and beauty of robots that were crafted with far more precision and quality than yours… But when it came time to put our robot on the field compete against these works of art, Mr. Breadner’s mantra for all of us was simple:
"Ugly can win"
Truer words have never been spoken. The proof is in the pudding right here in this picture…
Congratulations Mr. Breadner and Karthik. It’s an honour having you both as friends, mentors and confidantes. You have truly transformed FIRST in Canada and beyond, and are trailblazers who are constantly pushing our program to the next level. This place just wouldn’t be the same without you guys!
-Shawn T. Lim…