ABOUT US
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Fear The Gear is a FIRST robotics team originating from Chatham, NJ. The team members are high schoolers, and have been competitively building and programming robots for ten years. Coached by Danny S. and Jason M. for the first nine years and now by Natalie M. and David B., the team competes at events arranged by the international organization FIRST. They currently are involved in the FIRST Tech Challenge, a program for high schoolers. Robots are constructed from metal kits and are operated both autonomously and by remote control.
Since their participation in the FLL, multiple elementary school teams in Chatham have been founded, and many of the Fear the Gear members attend their meetings to mentor. Being a part of a competitive robotics team presents new challenges everyday, and the solutions are not always obvious. Participation in FIRST is a process; you start from scratch and end up with a finished product that is completely from your own imagination. The organization encourages independent thinking, gracious professionalism, scientific novelty, and competitive spirit. The skills learned from FIRST are ones that will carry through into teams' careers and futures. |
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MEET THE TEAM
Gianna M.
is a senior in Chatham High School. This is her second year in FIRST Robotics, and her first year as captain. She does a lot of the team's programming but also enjoys builds and drives. She plays piano in the CHS Jazz Band and trombone in the CHS Marching Band, although SOME PEOPLE tell her she never plays loudly enough. Gianna had been hoping to come up with something witty to write for her bio, but she can't really think of anything right now.
Jack L.
is a junior at CHS. Though this is his first year on the team, he has taken the robotics class in school and programmed in a couple different languages. When not at robotics Jack is playing soccer or online games with "friends" [emphasis added]. He plans to major in engineering in college.
Matt S.
is a freshman at Chatham High School. This is his first year in FTC, but he was formerly a member of the FLL team the Robocougars. Matt plays trombone in band and likes to run cross country. When not at meetings, running, or playing with robots at home he loves to play Kingdom Hearts on the Play Station 2. Most importantly, Matt is the self proclaimed team pneumaticist. Whoosh.
Paul M.
is a freshman at CHS. In the middle school, he was a member of the FLL team the Robocougars, and this is his first year in FTC. He runs both track and cross country, so he spends a good amount of time outdoors running. He also plays alto saxophone. Last June he attended a STEM program at the United States Naval Academy. He enjoys all types of science though he enjoys physics the most. When he has free time he is most likely reading.
Colton T.
Colton is a senior; this is his second year of FIRST Robotics. He enjoys technology and CADD and wants to continue this interest in college, where he plans to study computer engineering. When not at meetings, he enjoys playing tennis and video games, karate, Boy Scouts, and spending time with his girlfriend.
Eric L.
is a junior at Chatham High School. This is his second year participating in robotics. His first consisted mainly of building the robot and soldering (he's pretty good at it). Now he is primarily organizing the outreach and fundraising for the team. He plays the trumpet and baritone in band and the sousaphone in marching band. He is also part of the computer league at school and enjoys programming.
Alex m.
is a junior at CHS. This is his first year on Fear the Gear.
ALUMNI
Alex G.
is a freshman at Bucknell University and an 8 year roboticist; Alex was the team's chief programmer but also built, designed, and researched. When Alex was not doing robotics related activities, he played the trumpet in the CHS Marching Band and jazz band.
Calvin R.
is freshman at Northeastern University, and was part of the team for 9 years. He was the Fear the Gear's captain last year and he built, designed, and occasionally programmed. He was in his marching band's drum line and also plays keyboard in a rock band with his friends known as "The Aftermath". In the winter, Calvin fences. He sees both engineering and music in his future. Calvin is not a cat person, but does enjoy the occasional Nyan Cat sighting.
Tyra D.
is a junior at Chatham High School. While she managed PR and community outreach, she also worked on building. Tyra swims competitively for Berkeley Aquatic Club. She hopes to make Olympic Trials in the 200m Fly someday.
Michael M.
is a freshman at Syracuse University. Last year was his sixth year in robotics. He was a builder, programmer, and designer for the team. In his free time he plays soccer, video games and the trombone in the marching and jazz band. He enjoys running in track and creating music. Michael earned the nickname "Meowchael" despite his hatred for cats.
Michael S.
is a freshman at Drexel University. He has been involved in robotics for 9 years. On the team, Michael contributed his efforts to all areas; as builder, engineer, designer, and programmer. He was a trombonist in the CHS marching band. He aims to become a mechanical engineer, as he enjoys designing and building.
Sean D.
Sean is a freshman at the University of Miami. Last year was his first and only year in robotics, but he enjoyed the opportunity to learn all about FIRST and FTC. He enjoyed playing the bass in the school's orchestra, gaming, chopping wood, and hauling lumber.
KRistin W.
Kristin is a senior at Chatham High. She participates in the marching band's color guard. She also enjoys the study of anthropology. Possessing no musical talent, even though she played 8 instruments, Kristin wishes to start a band. A n00b when it comes to robotics, Kristin's participation on the team will still be missed!
NIck L.
Nick is a freshman at NJIT; he participated for one year in FIRST robotics. He enjoys math and science. He cooks a mean Tonkatsu Curry, a japanese dish though his specialty is sushi. He likes to plant peppers.
Kyle D.
is a sophomore at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Having known the team for several years, he is excited to finally be a part of FTC. Kyle liked to CADD and program for the team. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar and swimming, as well as participating in the Technology Club @ CHS. Kyle hopes to be a computer engineer someday. He is known for being a really cool and awesome person.
Dana S.
is a sophomore at Syracuse University, and has been a part of the team for 8 years. As the former captain of the team, she specialized in graphic and visual design, but also contributed to mechanical design and building, as well as public relations management. She runs track and plays the guitar and violin. She is also very good at four square. Her plans for the future are vague, but she hopes to do something related to art and design.
Quin B.
is a graduate of Chatham High School. He was involved with Fear the Gear for 2 years, and contributed mechanically. In school, Quin participated in crew and marching band, and is very interested in music. He also bowled on the school bowling team. We will miss Quin's innovation at meetings!
Stephanie P.
is a graduate of Chatham High School, and participated in FIRST for 6 years. She plays volleyball year round. She is the primary mentor of an emerging local FLL team. Unfortunately she could not join us this year, but Stephanie continues to mentor the FLL team "the Robo Cougars". Her contributions will be missed by all!
