Gear Freaks – FTC Team 4991
Who are we?
A community team comprised of high school, middle school, and home schooled students of Carroll County, MD.
How long have we been a team?
FTC Team 4991 has been around for a long time, it was previously associated with a local high school. After the team disbanded at that school, it was converted into a community team open to anyone from the local area to join, not just those who attended the local high school. The current team comprises of members, some of whom started last year while others who joined this year.
What is the purpose of this team?
Each member joined FIRST Robotics as a way of expanding their knowledge of the STEM fields, and of course, to have fun. The team’s goals are to:
- Design, build, and program robots
- Apply real world math and science concepts
- Develop their skills in problem solving, organization, and team building
- Participate in local tournaments and competitions with the intent of qualifying for the state championships.
- Promote science and technology throughout our community
Why do we need your help?
As with all things, robotics is expensive. While we do use parts from previous years, new parts need to be purchased every year. We also have an added challenge this year, the FIRST organization decided to update the robotics platform from the Lego Mindstorms/NXT base to a new Android/JAVA- based platform. This requires the team to purchase new devices and parts in order for the team to complete in FTC competition. Additionally, the team would like to purchase a 3-D printer to allow them to design and print custom parts for their robot.
As FTC Team 4991 is run through the PIE3 organization which is a certified 501(c)(3) charity, all donations to the team are tax deductible.
