1403’s season is split up into three major periods, organized as Pre-Season, Build Season, and Competition Season. During the first few months, also known as “Pre-Season,” students meet with mentors and captains to learn about FIRST and to gradually master the skills needed for “Build Season.” These meetings generally take place once or twice a week, depending on the sub-team.

In January, 1403’s Kickoff event marks the start of build season. Students on logistics-side subteams are required to attend Saturday meetings from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., while those on robot-side subteams are required to stay until 2 p.m (although these hours are subject to change). Throughout build season, meetings will be held after school and the frequency of those meetings are determined by the team captains.

After build season is over, “Competition Season” starts. Although the activity around the robotics room is not as hectic, sub-teams are still busy with updating code, building spare parts, rehearsing Chairman’s, and of course attending the competitions to see our robot in action! At competitions, students are required to wear the current team t-shirt and khaki pants to show solidarity with the rest of the team. We do a lot of work in robotics, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun! Robotics is a family, and it forms common bonds between each member of TEAM 1403.