Breakaway is Ready to Launch!

Six weeks. That’s all the time we had to build a 125 pound robot that would be competing against teams from all over the world. It wasn’t a lot of time, but we knew if we worked together as a team, Breakaway 3937 would excel. As the build period began to dwindle, it felt as if the weeks flew by. It would only be a matter of time before the build season would end and it would be time to present our robot, Titan, to the world.

Alumni and supporters came by the shop for our annual Bag and Tag celebration. Bag and Tag is when all teams must stop building their robot and literally bag it up, not to be touched until competition. We had an amazing turn out. It was a great to see all of our alumni from years past gathering to see us off into “Deep Space.” As a freshman on the team, this was my first year participating in the celebration. I had seen the robot in years past, but I had never gotten to see the result as a part of the team.

As 7:00 on Tuesday night rolled around we were all excited and nervous at the same time. The guests started arriving, and I knew it was time for us to showcase our robot to the world. Our hard work from not only the six weeks prior but also from the offseason was all beginning to boil down to this moment. How would everyone react to Titan? Would they be impressed? Would it meet their expectations?

Our marketing team brought cake, scones, and other refreshments. Our production team had their cameras rolling. Our seniors had a chance to address the audience and share about how FIRST and Breakaway have impacted their high school experiences. And our wonderful team of drivers had the chance to drive the robot around while Coach Jones explained the game to the crowd.

Everyone loved Titan and congratulated us on all of our hard work. We were blessed to have VIPs attend, such as President Bruce McLarty from Harding University, Mr. James Simmons our school’s superintendent, and Dr. Darren Mathews, the principal of Harding Academy. Harding University students, alumni from other FIRST teams, sponsors, and lots of parents celebrated the end of build season.

Titan is looking great. Next stop for Breakaway 3937 is the Rock City Regional in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Bayou Regional in New Orleans. Build season may be over, but this is just the beginning of our launch into Deep Space!

Thank you sponsors!