When two of them spotted it, the creases in their foreheads deepened and the corners of their mouths lowered. The other\u2019s eyes were filled with the reflection of the glistering trophies and hope. This is what could make or break the rest of their competition. This giant piece of tin determines their success and future endeavors.<\/span><\/p>\n Are these people crazy? Slightly sexist? Borderline autistic? Maybe. But one thing is for sure, they are desperate to travel back to last April- a time which many of them describe as the best experience of their life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The roaring crowds. The blinding strobe lights capable of dulling your senses. The sound of metal on metal. The craziness of the largest robotics competition in the world: FIRST.<\/span><\/p>\n Every year, 20,000 adults from countries all over the world travel to St. Louis to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship. The road to FIRST is a long, treacherous, and rewarding path. That is if you make it.<\/span><\/p>\n Robotics may sound nerdy, but it\u2019s snatched the attention of a new generation of programmers, engineers, innovators, and problem-solvers powering the exhibition of building incredibly powerful engineering tools.<\/span><\/p>\n Stuart Sharma sat on the edge of his seat picking at the numb, pinkened flesh around his nail beds. \u201cIn order to even get into FIRST, we have to heavily train and qualify for the competition.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SWAT is their key- an international competition providing an environment where you forced to work under tight time restraints with limited resources and strict rules. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been to this competition, and we\u2019re unsure of what to expect, but what we do know is that there are huge sponsors here,\u201d says Sharma.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Over the course of six weeks, teams are challenged to create CAD models of their robots, build their robots from the ground up, and, with enough luck, test their robots\u2019 abilities to work and thrive in a real-life setting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the six-week timeframe, all robots are \u201cbagged and tagged\u201d- encased in a clear bag- and unable to be touched or worked on until competition day.<\/span><\/p>\n Week one: an empty computer screen with an empty grid and an empty mind from little motivation and too few ideas. \u201cThe hardest part is always the beginning… determining your vision, fitting the competition requirements and rules, and the motivation to actually stay on track,\u201d says team captain Karan VanMetre.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Successfully navigating <\/span>AutoCAD LT is their key to FIRST. One slip up- one improperly calculated wheel and the whole operation has failed. \u201cEveryone always wants to skip straight to the fun part- the design and testing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nobody ever has the proper motivation to get through the nitty and the gritty,\u201d says VanMetre. Seven days have past and Sharma is concerned. A week later and he is still staring at an empty computer screen.<\/span><\/p>\n Week two: as time runs out, it starts to don on the team just how much of a time constraint they are under. There is no time to waste. \u201cAny parts we order will take at least five days to arrive by post,\u201d says VanMetre, \u201cwe can\u2019t afford to begin building on week four.\u201d One all-nighter in and the screen is still blank.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On the second all-nighter, as Sharma takes a bite of his Hawaiian pizza slice, an idea hits him. The ball is rolling and the CAD model is in full swing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Week three: a pile of parts and lots of debate. As the small team of five sat in a circle of bits and pieces, arguments arouse- was focusing on a waterproof basis the most important part or was it the robot\u2019s ability to shoot a basket?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The scatter-minded individuals couldn\u2019t seem to keep their minds on one single task. Conversations were frequent and rarely directed at the task. \u201cYou know, I can solve a Megaminx Dodecahedron Rubix cube in a minute- I\u2019m on my way to breaking the record.\u201d \u201cWhy is the surface of ice wet when it\u2019s properties are dry?\u201d \u201cDude, my mum made the best brownies last night- I ate like five of them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nonetheless, as time ticked by, the sound of endless, intelligent bickering became fewer and less frequent. \u201cIt takes a good leader to lead a team like this,\u201d says Rosa Lopez, the youngest team member at the age of 17, \u201c Karan always keeps us on track.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With 3 hours to spare, the robot is finally on its feet. \u201cThe proudest moment in the entire world is seeing your creation in the flesh\u2026. nothing is more gratifying than watching it be built from the ground up,\u201d says Lopez.<\/span><\/p>\n As quickly as it is built, it is bagged up and placed to the side. To touch it would be against the rules and the team would promptly be disqualified. The anxiety starts to kick in. In one week\u2019s time, the team will be on a Megabus and reunited once again.<\/span><\/p>\n Words: Jillian Keith<\/p>\n Images: Jillian Keith,\u00a0MPR Photo by Jennifer Simonson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What does it take to get to the top? 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