InspirationIn 2008, having a FIRST robotics team in Rutland County started as an idea, and with a number of people working hard to bring that idea to life, it grew into a reality. As a result, the iBots 2370 team was born. Over the past few years, we have gained many new members, each with certain qualities that help us keep our inspiration (the spark that makes us who we are) alive and healthy. And even though each year we lose experienced members as they pursue their own dreams, new members still share their own traits of determination, enthusiasm and willingness to learn that make our team successful . On a broader level, the team as a whole is a source of inspiration for students who wish to take on challenges, not only within the team, but also in life. Whether it's the decision to take harder classes in school or gaining the confidence to go to college and follow your dreams, everyone embellishes that having a passion for knowledge is a good thing. Students also have the opportunity to work in teams and learn the skills they will need to succeed not only in the present but also in the future. Being part of the team can also help many young adults determine their career path. Even if students join the team in ninth grade, it can help them determine if they are interested in an engineering field or science. RecruitmentThe iBots are always looking for new team members. New promotional tactics included featuring our own robot in the annual Rutland County Halloween Parade (one of the largest Halloween parades in the continental United States). We decorated the robot with green Christmas lights and used speakers to play loud techno music. Team members also handed out candy and buttons. However, most of the k...... middle of paper ......t the big foam wheels we had for the wheels we could change the pressure of. This way, to overcome the bump we could simply decrease the pressure in the wheels a little. We also decided to use a chain drive to operate the wheels, a risky decision but one that had to be made for our robot to work (since we are still building, we could change the chain drive to belt drive if we have time). The kicker was then done in an interesting way. So far we are sticking to our plan to use surgical tubing and a swivel motor to make it work properly. The team has done a great job recovering, but there is still a lot of work to do, so we wish all the other teams good luck and see you soon at the competition!*Special thanks to Paul Cipriani, Jeff Stewart and all the other mentors and parents, without whom none of this would have been possible.