By Amelia
We got 2 new members this year - Amelia and Gideon. In this blog, some of the new members have taken a minute to jot down their thoughts on joining the longtime robotics team AIM.
Amelia:
AIM really is a special experience. In many ways, I think of AIM as a family. Everyone has a role, allowing our overall goals to be completed efficiently and with high quality. People play to their strengths, but the team also allows plenty of opportunities to learn something new.
To be honest, in the first few weeks, there was a lot of FTC vocabulary that was entirely unfamiliar. What’s a “Floor Junction” or a “Dead zone”? I still can’t name most (basically all) of the screw types. Further, I’ve understood how steep the learning curve is for mechanics work. Not only are there lots of new terms, but building skills require much time spent observing and trying things out.
Despite the overload of new information I’ve gotten in the past two months, I am so glad I joined AIM. It is a team I am proud of, and seeing our constant improvement can only be described as inspiring. With so much together time - 22 hours in the week leading to qualifiers - I’ve gotten to know people and learn things I never would have otherwise. During the week, we all take the late bus to practice together and I am never not entertained. Just a few months into it, I can’t imagine not being a part of the team.
Gideon:
The other new member this year was Gideon. He too had never experienced anything in the FTC world before joining AIM. When interviewed for this blog feature, he had a fascinating view of AIM. In three words, he described it as “unique, organized, and interesting.” He says his experience has “been lit.”
When first joining AIM, he said he was confused about what his role was. But, as soon as he understood, everything cleared to him and he was "good."
One experience that stood out to Gideon was his first qualifier. While he admits that he made a few mistakes, he had a lot of fun scouting. He had a bigger role than he originally expected, being the main scouter, but quickly adapted and stepped up to the challenge. He enjoyed meeting all the teams at Qualifier #2 and made some new friends!
Being a new member of the AIM robotics team is a unique experience that both Gideon and I are grateful for.