by Mimi Ramsdell
Although the 2010 Robotics Competition Season does not start officially until January 9th, Hopkinton’s Team Oz-Ram has already started preparing for battle. While the typical person imagines the robotics team as a group of glasses wearing- pocket protector using geeks that also make up the Chess Club, the reality is quite the contrary. Hopkinton’s Robotics Team is compiled of a surprisingly normal group of high school students from Hopkinton and John Stark. Virtually none of the team members fit into the stereotypical mold of a geek, they all just enjoy expressing their inner nerd. Furthermore, as Coach Renald explains, “we need everybody’s help in completing the robot; anybody can be an important element in the Robotics Team.” Renald further expands on how past participators in the club could care less about the actual building of the robot, but were crucial parts in the financial, web design, and artistic parts of the program.
The point of the Team is to build a robot from scratch with the capabilities of competing in the Granite State Regional Competition starting on March 4th. While the group can start at any time assembling the robot, the actual task the robot must compete is not announced until six weeks before the competition. The task differs from year to year and the robot is judged on various aspects, not just its performance. The majority of the work that is done before the task is released is fundraising. Building a robot is a rather expensive hobby and requires many grants. Currently, Team Oz-Ram, named after their first sponsor and inspired their Wizard of Oz Theme, is putting together presentations for different sponsors, but most importantly waiting to hear back from a large potential sponsor, NASA.
Robotics is similar to sports and other clubs due to the comradely that is built during the season. Every person brings a unique ability to the team, which is reflected in the robot. Tucker Gaskill, a Junior and three year veteran on Robotics, enjoys the various experiences that the Team offers. Last year his favorite part was being able to attend an additional competition in Florida where they had the privilege of watching a NASA shuttle take off, in VIP seating. This year the Team hopes to travel to either Boston or Atlanta for an additional competition. The team is optimistic about their abilities this year and looks forward to another great season.
