Teacher praises Robotics team

By Brian Conti
Life Skills Center of Hamilton County teacher

Hello colleagues. If you see a "RoboSoldier" in the building today, congratulate them on their spectacular showing Saturday at the Robotics competition at UC.

Let me paint the picture for you...

It was a dark, cold December morning.

While most Cincinnati-ans were still asleep, warm in their beds, 10 students from all over town rose from their slumber long before the sun illuminated the land.

No complaints though, 5 a.m. wake up calls are the life of a RoboSoldier. This was no ordinary Saturday, however. This was Gameday.

Months of preparation, countless meetings, successes, failures...all the blood, sweat, and gears... for one chance to shock the world.

There are no doubts the Soldiers were underdogs in the event from the get-go. Limited funding and limited experience were supposed to lead to little chance of being competitive. Try telling that to the Soldiers, though.

The team assembled at the barracks before 7 a.m., and the excitement in the air was palpable. They had been pumped up about the event for weeks, but they had a special spark in their eyes on the morning of Judgement Day.

The team had no idea what to expect walking onto the battlefield for the first time, but they quickly assimilated to the environment. In a building full of privileged students with extensive Robotics backgrounds, the RoboSoldiers showed no fear. In fact, they stole the show.

From beginning to end, these 10 students from all walks of life exemplified sportsmanship, competitive nature, teamwork, and, above all... heart. The other 12 teams in the competition had obviously been taught well the intricacies of robot design and performance, but the RoboSoldiers stood alone in exhibiting the one characteristic you CAN'T teach... heart.

The team started strong, winning it's first match convincingly. The jubilation from this win quickly turned to dismay, when the Soldiers dropped their second match in a fiercely competitive battle. It went like this throughout the afternoon, ups and downs, close calls and near misses.

As the preliminary round drew to a close, the RoboSoldiers stood on the outside looking in. Chances of making the elimination round were bleak. Their indomitable spirit refused to wilt in the face of such odds, however, and the team was rewarded as the clouds parted and an orange light shone down on the Soldiers.

The orange-clad Botcats, who had qualified for the next round and needed an alliance, announced that they had chosen the RoboSoldiers as their comrades for the final showdown. As the announcement was made, a roar went through the crowd. The Soldiers were down, but not out. Victory was still attainable!

Going into the first match of the elimination round, the Botcat-RoboSoldier alliance was a huge underdog. The official odds of this unlikely partnership advancing even one round came in from Vegas, and they were slim to none.

The Soldiers were used to being doubted, however, and this new challenge only seemed to inspire the team more. Already deafening chants of "RoboSoldiers" and "LifeSkills" became even louder, threatening the very structure of the building housing the event.

As the first playoff match got underway, long odds got even longer as the Botcats' robot died on the battlefield. Thus, it became the little-RoboSoldier-that-could against two behemoth machines who had been tormenting smaller robots all day. Defeat seemed inevitable, and this story would have been a happy one even if the Soldiers had fallen against such tremendous odds.

But they didn't. Instead, through expert driving and the sheer refusal to lose, the Soldiers pulled the upset of the decade and dominated both opposing robots en route to a convincing win!

In the semifinals, the RoboSoldiers were again alone on the battlefield, as the Botcats' machine had met its final resting place the match before. In this round, competition was even greater, as the Soldiers were aligned opposite the reigning champions and field leaders. Despite battling to the very end, the RoboSoldiers finally fell to the villainous duo, ending competition for the day. Even in defeat, the Soldiers were gracious, keeping their head held high.

The award ceremony culminating the day's events proved to be just another forum for the infectious spirit of the team, and how it was appreciated by all those in attendance.

Of the 5 different judges awards given to teams for specific accomplishments, one was based solely on spirit and character. As the announcer began recounting all the attributes considered when determining the recipient of this prestigious award, opposing teams began to smile and point at the Soldiers. It was obvious who had demonstrated the most heart throughout the event, and it was the Soldiers time to shine.

"And the 2007 First Tech Motivate Award goes to . . . Team 239, the Life Skills RoboSoldiers..."

The applause was uproarious. Everyone in the building rose to their feet and cheered wildly as the Soldiers made their way to the podium to accept their award. Teams from all over the country were applauding the Soldiers spirit, giving them "high-fives" as Team 239 progressed through the crowd... as a team. This "team spirit" award was the perfect culmination to the perfect day... spent together as a team.

All day long, the Soldiers had been courteous to other squads, while never losing that sense of "it's us against the world" on the battlefield. They had stuck together through thick and thin, good times and bad. They had laughed together, learned together, and grown together... as a team.

I honestly can't remember a time where I have been more proud of students that I've worked with. As you all know, I am a big fan of being competitive, having fun, and team dynamics. At first, I thought the ambiance of the whole event rather strange. Competition was a huge part of my life growing up, but I had never seen it approached quite like this.

Every team there wanted to win, but it seemed like they wanted every other team to win too! No trash-talking, no trying to intimidate and get that competitive edge. I have tried to win at everything I've ever done, and usually at all costs... but by the end of the night, I couldn't help but adopt this "We Are the World" mind set. Hearing all those kids and parents cheer for us the way they did really resonated with me.

It's something I'll never forget. For a lot of the kids on the team, this may be the ONLY time they ever have, or ever will, experience such a phenomenon. We didn't win it all, but, in many ways, this was a "15 minutes of fame" experience for our kids. Being part of a team, of a family, meant the world to them, and you could see it in their eyes and hear it in their words.

I, personally, was almost shocked by the behavior they displayed throughout the day. Gracious Professionalism is the theme for First Tech events, and we took that to another level.

The best part was, we (as teachers) had nothing to do with it! It was the kids who took it upon themselves to cheer for other teams, make friends with opponents, be courteous and appreciative towards the judges, and supportive of each other. We just got to sit back and watch it unfold. I could not have been any prouder to be a teacher than I was on Saturday, and you all know I usually don't say such a thing unless I mean it.

Too often, we (at Life Skills...students AND staff) get a bad rap in the community, and, even within our own building. I hear our own students bad-mouthing the school and their classmates as being almost second-class, just because this isn't a conventional academic institution.

I wish you call could have seen us on Saturday, though, because there was nothing second-class about it. Our kids showed they belonged there, which I think they BELIEVED all along, even if others around them didn't. Anyway, please congratulate the kids today if you see them. They earned it.