Our biggest effort is competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition.  Each January, we're given a game challenge and about two months to design, build, and test a 120-pound robot to play that year's game.  These games are more sport than deathmatch--you can score, you can block, but there's no joy in wrecking another team's robot.

Once we've built them, we put them to the test at competitions around South Carolina.  These events are two and a half days long, and a blend of varsity sport, fandom convention, and rock concert that are hard to describe until you've seen it for yourself!  We play two of them in March in the hopes of qualifying for the state championship in early April.

Fielding a team in FRC requires team members with all sorts of interests, and you might not expect all of those specializations in a robotics competition!

• There's lots of fabrication and assembly involved.  Some of it is 3D printed, some of it is proper metalworking, some of it is making structures out of wood like mockups of the competition field.

• The robot's electrical system has to be wired to the competition rules, and done well to withstand 15-20 competition matches over two days.  Robots drive fast and hit hard, even with the mandatory bumpers!

• Programming is where a lot of top teams separate themselves from the pack.  Robots drive themselves for the first 10-15 seconds of each match, and there are usually bonuses for scoring in that time.  Once the drivers take control, programmers play a role in giving them a machine that's easy to operate.

• Strategy is another edge.  Beyond analyzing how we want to play the game, we scout matches at events to watch what other teams are doing.  Whether we're playing alongside them or against them, knowing their real capabilities gives us the best chance of putting up the W.

• And that's before we talk about the judged awards!  No matter how hard we work, we won't be contending for them if we can't share our documentation and excitement with the judges.  And yes, those awards matter--they contribute points towards our final season rankings and qualification for the state championship.

• For us to even get to the tournament requires travel and logistics planning.  Parts ordering, hotels, food, transportation for people, robots, and our pit setup, and the list goes on.  If you've wondered what goes into running a small business, this is pretty close!

It's a lot, but you'll be working alongside adult mentors including FIRST alumni.  It's one of the things that makes FIRST unique from other programs, and we think it's incredibly valuable practice for whatever you're planning to do after high school.

After the season ends in March or April, we ease off the tempo a bit and start working on different projects.  Some examples include:

• Developing things we think make the next robot more competitive

• Competing at off-season tournaments, which play the same game but let us try new things (and new people) with the pressure off.

• Hosting an off-season tournament--we've run 14 editions of SCRIW alongside our friends on Blue Devil Mechanics

• Hosting demo and outreach events, so even more students can experience the fun of STEM even if they're a little young or too busy to be building 120-pound robots

• Mentoring FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge programs, which are targeted for students who are a little younger.

• And yes, fundraising and working on grants to grow our operations.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen.  It's the world's leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM (that's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), with over 3.2 million participants and teams in 100+ countries.  They serve students through three programs:

• FIRST Robotics Competition serves grades 9-12, and is their flagship program.  Pandamaniacs has been participating here since 2004.

• FIRST Tech Challenge serves grades 7-12, and it offers a smaller competition format with a lower floor for teams

• FIRST LEGO League serves pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, and it stokes early excitement in STEM through age-appropriate LEGO creations.

Sound neat? Join us!