Team 4800 and Team 4799

When you think of robotics and Woodside, your mind immediately jumps to Team 100. But did you know that there are 2 other teams at Woodside? Team 4800 (The Robocats) and Team 4799 (Odds and Ends), the first, a 3rd year FTC team and the second, a 1st year FTC team, have been using Team 100’s resources, knowledge, and team members as a source for help. Consisting of 24 members, five of whom are on Team 100, The Robocats and Odds and Ends need all the help they can get. This year’s game, “Cascade Effect,” requires a robot no larger than 18x18x18 to collect baseball and golf ball sized wiffle balls and dump them into tubes of varying heights. Compared to building a robot that can stack totes and recycling cans, this seems easy, right? Wrong. Being on an FTC team requires an extensive amount of knowledge and experience, which is something that first-year members don’t have. That’s where Team 100 comes in. Veteran team-members as well as mentors and parents all aid Team 4800 and Team 4799 in their quest for success. At the beginning of the FTC season, team alumni talk to the new members and help them get to know the game & rules. Mr. Shannon, the “Robocoach,” if you will, aids The Robocats and Odds and Ends in designing robots in SolidWorks and answers general mechanical questions. Parents play a crucial role in the perspective victories of both Woodside-based robotics teams. Team 100 members also support local FTC teams by attending and volunteering at their competitions. One of Team 100's schools, Sequoia High School, hosts FTC qualifier competitions yearly. Team 100 students are eager and willing to contribute to these events by volunteering as scorekeepers, field resetters, and judges. Whether cutting aluminum in the shop, programming a manipulator, or helping out at the competitions, both teams have each other's backs.