Pumpkin Launch: November 17th, 2007

The Eagle Robotics sponsored their annual Pumpkin Launch at Tally Vineyards in Arroyo Grande, CA with two news crews publicizing the event. The pumpkins were donated by the Branch Elementary Pumpkin Patch. The nine competing teams consisted of high school students and local residents. Each of the winning teams received a framed certificate, medal, and ribbons.

Central Coast Celebration: April 5th, 2008

-The Engineering Inspiration Award is recognition of Team 1388's efforts to inspire engineering interest in our community. Even amidst the whirlwind of fundraising for Atlanta, Eagle Robotics is continuing our practice of community outreach. This past weekend, Eagle Robotics was generously given a booth (for free) at the Central Coast Celebration, a first time event hosted by the Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Greg of Doc Burnstein's provided a tent for the day.

-The team brought three small VEX robots for the kids to play with and the marketing was present with a billboard, the yearbook, and other visual aids. We reached many kids and spoke to many adults about our program and its successes.

Fundraising and Publicity Since UC Davis

-Immediately after the elation of winning a spot at Atlanta, the team realized the necessity of raising about 20k. However, our team members are far from passive and immediately set about brainstorming for ideas. Shortly afterward, we infiltrated the village and Oceano industrial district asking local businesses for sponsorship. A small group of team members and mentors have steadily combed every opportunity in this small town. Our grassroots, door-to-door efforts have raised the team over $1200 and multiple press releases garnered us a front page, four picture spread in the Times Press Recorder and an article w/ photo in the Central Coast News.

-Larger sponsorship has earned over $8000 since the UC Davis Regional.

UC Davis Sacramento Regional: March 19th-22nd

-At this regional, our team built on the learning experience of San Diego. The drivers were more skilled, the robot was amended to have extra arms, and the team members had learned the importance of recon. Because of this, Eagle Robotics made it to the Finals, ultimately ending up with the second place (finalist) trophy.

-Also, the Eagle Robotics Marketing Team presented their Chairman's Award submission consisting of an essay (written by Danielle Smith), an interview (with Danielle Smith, Chase Drulliard, and Stephanie Marble), and a team yearbook (done by Stephanie Marble). In addition, the marketing team hovered in the pits to catch judges in order to tell them of our team's community involvement and outreach programs. For their efforts, the team received the second place to Chairman's Award, the Engineering Inspiration Award. This award won the team a spot at the Championships in Atlanta, GA on April 17th, 18th, and 19th.

San Diego Regional Competition: March 5th-8th

-The San Diego Regional went extremely well. For the second year in a row, our team recieved the Xerox Creativity Award. This award celebrates an innovative design. Our robot was the only robot with a kicking mechanism to launch the ball over the rack. This game strategy was quick and efficient. After Seeding (qualifying) matches, our robot was ranked 5th out of 49. We made it to Quarter Finals but, sadly, lost here. However, our team feels that the experience gained at San Diego will help us to compete at an even higher level at the Davis Regional on March 19th-22nd.

-In addition, our team showed great 1388 pride with body paint, tattoos, and colored hair spray. Some even consented to blue mascara and nail polish. This team spirit not only goes toward encouraging our drivers during a match but also works toward the Spirit Award given at each competition.

-Also, our team was lucky enough to have the support of KSBY back home as they showed the pictures that I sent every night from comptition. In addition, on Friday, March 14th they are showing footage from the regional along with an interview done back home after the regional.

-Our team would like to thank everyone that has helped us along. We could not build or compete without the knowledge, time, and dollars donated to Team 1388. Mentors, parents, and sponsors we thank you so much for your contributions and support!

Week Six: February 11th-16th, 2008

-The robot name has finally been decided upon. "Hammertime" is the name-of-the day, referencing the popular MC Hammer song, "Can't Touch This". The plan is to sing the song at competition as a sort-of "spirit song." The boys even plan to add choreography. It's shaping up to be a very interesting competition.

-We're getting off early on Valentine's Day, but half the team doesn't know why. However, they can tell you the FIRST Robotics 2008 Competition rules in great detail. How telling....

However, there is one member who truly understands the meaning of Valentine's Day. I found him writing a Valentine's Day Poem and since I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to embarrass someone, here is Sunshine's (admittedly good) poem:

The day of love is finally here
The pathway to the heart is finally clear
The day of fate
To find your mate
Has finally come your way.

All over the world,
Joy is unfurled
Into lovers hearts everywhere
Then into the lady’s heart who is fair

With all the love in the air this day
Clouding the lover’s eyes today

Love can be blind at times
Unless you know to watch you back

-Bruno Bornino has generously donated the use of his warehouse as a practice arena. Our team has invited the FIRST Robotics Atascadero and Dos Pueblos Teams to share in the benefits of a practice space.

Week Five: February 4th-9th, 2008

-On Monday, the robot arm was tested and found worthy of lavish praise. Findley was found capable of a small child's enthusiasm as he exclamed "Oh YES!!" upon seeing the functioning component.

-The robot from two years ago is being used for driving practice. Its name is Z³. When I asked the programmers what that meant I was told "because it sounds cool." I refuse to believe that. I believe that the true reason lies in Freudian psychology, based on the subconscious and its influence. Here is my logic: The six weeks of building are centered around a common, imperative goal; building a competition robot. To achieve this, the team members work late into the night. This goal becomes the embodiment of all their dreams and desires. The letter "z" has long been the symbol of sleep, usually in a series such as "z z z". Since the team members were sleep deprived, their strongest desire was for sleep. Therefore, the robot (the embodiment of their dreams and desires) is appropriately named Z³.

-This year's robot's name has not been decided on yet. However, "Broomba" has been mentioned as a possibility.

-On Wednesday, the Cal Poly Provost came to visit. He was informed of the Marketing Activities and the status of the Chairman's Award submission. He was very impressed with the trading card idea and stressed the importance of community outreach from our team. He was then shown the robot and the informed of the end product. His visit was an official one as Cal Poly has generously given a $5000 donation.

Week Four: January 28th-February 2nd, 2008

-The dam-like hold-up of the Frame fabrication has finally broken and the resulting flood has occurred. I walked into our workshop today and haven't returned because of the chaos surrounding the revered Frame. I had the sense that I was entering sacred ground with a clandestine cult as its eternal protectors...like The Knights Templar in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

-This week we are holding tryouts for Robot drivers. Most of the team members are sans drivers training. And, voluntarily, we are handing over control of a moving mass of metal whose purpose is to knock things over. Oh, and they're teenage boys...

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Week Three: January 21st-26th, 2008

-On Thursday members of the team braved the rainy weather to attend a meeting of the Arroyo Grande Kiwanis Cub. The club donated $250 to Team 1388.

-Allow me to quote my insightful teammate Grant Cook by saying, "It's raining today." The Floodplain sometimes referred to as "Arroyo Grande High School"(usually accompanied by an explicative or two) being notorious for it's terrible drainage system, it should come as no surprise that our campus is flooded. Extra caution is being taken transporting the robots of years past to the different design areas. With luck, we shall have no drowned students this year (though there was a close call when a student fell off a puddle bridge onto her back into a foot deep water)

-Currently, our electrical, programming, and other teams are ahead of the fabrication team. This lag in progress by the fabrication team has caused somewhat of a standstill for the rest.

Week Two: January 14th-19th, 2008

-This week our main obstacle is raising hands. Such a complicated thing, a hand raise. The act of lifting one's arm into the air and declaring proudly "I volunteer to be on the design team!"is posing quite a challenge to our team members.

-In other news, we have a science experiment going on in our very own robotics workroom. It is the growth of the Random Bucket. Mysteriously, papers, wires, tools, and screws left unoccupied are appearing in the black hole known as the Random Bucket. To curb the exponential growth of this scientific phenomenon, 3 team members were forced to organize it. Items once thought to have been stolen by a close cousin of the Sock Gnome, were miraculously recovered in this perilous excavation. Our prayers and thanks go out to their brave souls.

Week One: January 7th-12th, 2008

-Our week started off great with a practice rack made on the first day. The next challenge lies in the calculation of the ball height and force needed to launch the ball over the rack. Our school is still on a vacation so our team members are free to design without homework or other school distractions.

-Robot design is completed, drive train has been determined, and the field elements are almost completed. In other news, team members are becoming lax in their tidiness. Papers are being left in the classroom and safety glasses were found outside the room yesterday. However, this is only a sign of their true ingenuity as everyone knows geniuses are notoriously messy.

Kick-Off: January 5th, 2008

Kick-Off was an exciting morning as the entire Eagle Robotics Team dragged themselves out of bed only to appear smiling and eager to receive this year's US First Design challenge. The enthusiastic team members then spent the rest of the meeting tossing around design ideas.

Pre-Build Season: 2007-2008

For the past three months, we have been having weekly meetings where we have been learning new things about robots and the components that it uses. We have been experimenting with the VEX robots and have just started getting into our sections that will be working with the robot.