Hear ye! Hear ye! Lords and Ladies, Lads and Lasses, gather thine knights, horses, and armor and get thy kingdom prepared for an epic battle of strategy! Art thou armies ready?!
With some trepidation the students filed into the conference room of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) of Patuxent River to once again view the FIRST Kickoff to find out what the game will be for this 2016 season. Although much was learned by the previous season’s game, Recycle Rush, they were not sure what to expect. The “hint” released in the weeks earlier had the students, and mentors abuzz with speculation.
The students took their seats, and the video began. The room fell silent, all eyes were on the video of Dean Kamen, Woody Flowers, and Donald Bossi (Founder, Co-founder, and President of FIRST respectively) as they began to talk and answer questions from a panel of students. Once the reveal began the energy in the room started to build with anticipation, each person wondering if their own speculation was correct.
Conversations about Stronghold started, the animation of the game and how it is played brought the enthusiasm and energy in the room to a peak as everyone became excited. So many ways to play the game, working together to score points, and even challenges to overcome in order to ranking points. A new element was added in that audience participation would determine the obstacles that would be placed on the field. While we are busy building our Robot and getting our Chairman’s Award submission ready, please enjoy this Kick-Off Video!