On January 7, 2012, Christmas came 352 days early for me. The Game Design Committee played Santa Claus, and FIRSTmas did NOT disappoint.
Most of you probably share the same sentiment, as it’s one of the best days of the year. Kickoff: the one day where every idea counts, a level playing field is handed out by FIRST and every team starts with a clean slate. It’s similar to the fresh and brand-new feeling you get on the first day of school…just exponentially better. Sitting in the Chrysler Museum and watching the broadcast from New Hampshire, I was just as anxious as the next avid FIRST-er. However, when the game was announced, two seemingly unrelated aspects of my life collided. You could see the little ginger Ellen in pantone 123-C bouncing up and down like a kid on Christmas morning. As a two-year varsity basketball player and a Killer Bee, I was absolutely ecstatic.
Rebound Rumble lit a fire under my belly. As a girl, it’s hard to have confidence in yourself to believe that you truly DO know what you’re talking about. However, I knew as well as anyone else that if I know something, it’s basketball. Somewhat surprisingly, my mentors and fellow Bees picked up on this concept as well. The day after Kickoff, my Bee buddies Demi, Jess, and Mama Green all went outside to the driveway in the harsh Michigan weather for a little lesson I’d like to call Bee Basketball 101.
Demi, a rather vertically challenged and non-athletic Bee, openly admits that she knows absolutely nothing about basketball. In my impromptu lesson/strategy session, I went back to the basics. I began playing basketball in sixth grade. In my WannaBee years, I was basketball player and a member of my middle school’s FLL team, which was then (and currently) mentored by Killer Bee parents and students. Trying to teach my counterparts, I thought back to what my sixth grade coach would tell my team so that we hopefully might score a few baskets in the entire game. “Use the backboard…put some arc under your shot…use your legs…” The whole shebang.
After some intense sixth-grade basketball physics, we went inside and did our real research for the game. It was awesome to finally connect that what my seemingly crazy coaches tell me actually connects to real science and physics that can be portrayed in this year’s game. In the days since Kickoff, my shot has improved consistently because I’m constantly focused on the mechanics of how I shoot the rock versus how a robot could do it. Thanks, Dean! As well as helping myself improve at a personal skills level, this year’s game has also shown how my FIRST friends support me in real life. On my latest Friday night game, four of my FRC friends from three teams, respectively, came out to support my sister and me. I found it hilarious to see all four of them up in the stands with the same facial features, clearly attempting to analyze the sport of basketball itself. The fact that my friends dragged themselves out of the tedious stages of design and early building truly showed me the spirit of both Coopertition and Gracious Professionalism. If you’re reading this, thanks guys.
I’m anxiously anticipating Comp season now, because I’m ready to see how this year’s game plays out on a mechanism and strategy level. I’m also very interested to see how similar the strategies and concepts that I use on the basketball court can be translated onto the field. After all, Kickoff may be like Christmas day, but nothing can be compared to the energy and excitement and exhilaration the night before the first competition.
