Alyssa Windham
Technical Assistant | Scouting Team
Connor Wilson
Director of Engineering
Going into FIRST Tech Challenge, I did not expect it to be a full challenge. Seeing these small robots after finishing up an FRC build season kind of lowered my expectations. However, seeing this year's Relic Recovery and dealing with the design of this robot steadily increased in difficulty. Size quickly became an issue and the acquisition of parts, harder. Now-Near the end of this season- I have been met with obstacles I never had to deal with and am glad to complete this season as a successful build.
FTC has changed me for the better, it has inspired me to try hard in everything I do. All the people in FTC have showed me that if you can't give it 100%, then don't do it. Everyone knows that you need to give it 100 and show that you care. Late nights and early mornings are just signs that you are willing and dedicated. I have learned that I need to have dedication, inspiration and perseverance.
TEAM
Michael Witter
Director of Business | Drive Coach
Jack Haehl
Lead Programmer | Robot Operator
This season taught me a great deal about responsibility and leaderships it was my first time being a team leader. This year I had many more decisions that I was to make on my own instead of asking a more experienced member. Being a driver and programmer gave me more ways to spot methods to improve efficiency in driving and code. Overall, I am proud of the team this year and how we overcame our challenges and unfamiliarity.
FIRST Tech Challenge has gotten me to think differently in robots. This program gets you to use the limited resources that we must make something bigger. I have experienced a more outgoing lifestyle after joining FIRST. This is an amazing program and I suggest it to anyone no matter if you are interested in robotics or not. FIRST is more than robots, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Logan Neitz
Mechanical Team
When I joined the FTC team, I was afraid because I didn't know how to do anything. I didn't even know how to work a drill. But after going to a few meetings, I learned a lot. Robotics has taught me how do many things, and has inspired me to work harder. It can be a real challenge at times, but we always know when to cool off and have fun. We work hard to get what needs to be done, and never stop finding new ways to solve problems.
Aaron Bristow
Field Elements Lead | Drive Team
Being on FTC has taught me valuable life skills that I don’t think I’d be confident to make anywhere else. Being a leader on the team has taught me how to teach, and more importantly how to talk. Being around my friends as we help each other grow into the engineers we aspire to be really helped me grow not only as a builder but as a person.
Saylor Fleming
Safety Captain
I joined the team this year; the year it was created. I joined expecting it to be as hard and time consuming as FRC. While it wasn’t, there are still some unique challenges that I’ve faced. I haven’t worked with the robot a lot, but I’ve been working on the engineering notebook. It’s lot of work, and very new. I have also worked at one of the qualifiers the team has hosted. It wasn’t new to me, because I’ve helped with Duel in the Desert in FRC, but I had more responsibility this time.
Isaiah Gutierrez
Engineering & Design Assistant
When I joined FTC, I was a basic kid who didn’t what he wanted to do for my future. I didn’t know how to work with tools, design robots, or work with electrical wiring. Sure, while learning there were problems like the structure of the robot didn’t work, but with the help of returning members, I can work with a plethora of tools to figure out wiring, to set up fundraisers, and many more social skills.
Yancy Gosda
Electrical Lead
When I joined FTC, I thought it wouldn’t be a challenge, because I already went through build season in FRC. I thought that it would be easy because it is being a smaller robot, smaller field, and a smaller team. After going through build season for FTC I learned more than I thought I would smaller components, gears, and materials. It was a challenge but that’s what made it more fun.
Jazlynn Brown
Team Photographer
The journey I had with robotics is one to really remember. I started with the team not knowing what it exactly was and now I understand the concept behind it. I am the photographer for robotics and I chose to be that because I love capturing the emotions and the way people feel about it. I capture the wins and losses the journey and places we go. It has taken a toll on my life for the best this is what I love doing and I love how I can capture the feelings behind a picture or video.
This was my first year at FTC, but I feel it was a very educational one. I learned on the first day of the design phase that FTC is largely about working with what is available. Since we were only able to use a certain number of motors and servos, FTFC has taught me to think much more creatively. That is what I am taking away from this year and it is a lesson I am glad I was able to learn.
Keenan Salik
Mechanical Lead
Matthew Ryzkowski
Manager of Media Relations
I am responsible for the YouTube channel for PROJECT:COBRA. I also manage the team snapchat (Cactus Robotics). Since I oversee all creative media on the team, I have also created the Engineering Notebook cover as well as team shirt designs. While I am stalking working on making a proper YouTube video that introduces our channel, I am extremely proud and grateful that my work has such a broad influence on the team. I love this team, the students involved, the mentors that guide us, and the supportive community behind it. I am proud to be part of the founding of FTC team PROJECT:COBRA.
Alyssa Zbiegien
Documentation & Finances
When I joined robotics, I was worried about not having anything to do, because a I knew nothing about programming, nothing about power tools, and nothing about electronics. By the first day, we found a job that I liked and could do (media), and over time the team taught me a ton of things like how to use a power drill and a jigsaw, and how-to problem solve. I'm ill learning, but I feel like I've come far from where I began.
Abel Nehrenz
Mechanical Engineering
When designing the robot, we thought of different designs for a “U” shaped bot. We decided to work on portions of the robot at a time. We worked on the intake first, that part within itself was challenging. We would build it to only take it apart repeatedly because of the placement of the parts and individual pieces themselves. We eventually got the intake mounted after long frustrating days. We got to work on the glyph arm immediately, because while working on the intake we were also planning how we would build the glyph arm. We had to add/ improve the chassis of the robot to build the glyph arm. We would continuously get frustrated because we didn’t have all the parts we needed. It would always seem like for every step we made progress we would end up going back three steps. We had to deal with the parts that we had and with all the frustration that was present during the building process.