Bots aren’t just for boys.
More girls than ever are participating
in high school and junior
high robot competitions such
as Battlebots IQ, FIRST, and
BEST. What attracts girls
to the sport? How do they
get started? What tips can
they can they offer others?
This is the second in a series
of profiles about girls who
compete in robotics.
Profile
Two: Team Femme Fatale
by Pamela
Clarkson
Miami-based
BattleBots
IQ team, Femme Fatale,
is one of the few all-girl
teams in robotic combat. Not
everyone takes a girls' team
seriously, says team member
Alexis Cabrera, "but
it's okay because you get
to prove them wrong when you
beat them in a competition."
 The
girls credit a number of inspirations
for their involvement in robotics:
teachers, family members...
and especially team mentor
Korey Kline. "My team
is extremely lucky to have
Korey Kline [as our mentor],"
says Alexis. "He was
constantly helping us, but
he made sure that we had hands-on
experience instead of just
telling us while he's doing
it. [And] he was always willing
to work till late hours of
the night just so that we
could get our robot working."
Femme Fatale's
robot, Joan of Arc, is a fierce
warrior. It sports a 22"
circular aluminum disc with
two hardened steel 'knockers',
spinning at 1900 RPM, to tear
chunks off opposing robots.
Joan of Arc
competed in the first BattleBots
IQ competition in March 2002.
"Towards the end of [the
competition], we were trying
to fix our robot to compete
in a rumble," says Femme
Fatale team member Laurie
O'Conner. "We opened
Joan up and realized that
one of the drive motors had
loosened and it would need
a lot of work. We weren't
sure if we would be finished
in time. Just then, the DJ
started playing the 'Macarena'
and all our friends from Miami
started dancing. Korey must
have seen our faces light
up, because he said, "Oh,
okay, go dance!" and
we ran to the dance floor.
I guess that just shows that
fun is the most important
part of BattleBots!"
About the Author: Pamela Clarkson
is a 14 year old avid robot
combat fan who is starting
early on her career as a writer.
You can e-mail her at: Pamela@pamclarkson.com.
Published: September 27, 2002
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Battlebots:
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