The Resource March 2014 Volume 1 Issue 003 | Page 22

T

he loud cheer of excitement
from the Saguaro Sabercat
Robotics team members,
and Doran Cole’s enthusiastic
jump are evidence that things are
progressing positively for their robot. The team just witnessed their
newly built robot demonstrate its
first test run successfully. The robot was able to pick up a large ball
and shoot it in the target area.

Doran Cole, of Navajo
and Causasian decent, whose
maternal side is from Naschitti,
New Mexico, was raised in Fort
Defiance, Arizona for a good portion of his life. It is where his father is originally from and where
his mother was raised. However
Doran’s involvement with the robotics team was a result of leaving
the Navajo Reservation four years
ago when his mother returned to
Arizona State University to pursue
her education. It was through his
new school, meeting new people,
making friends and then finding a
place for his interests and talents
that has brought Doran to be one
of the team leaders with the Saguaro Sabercat Robotics.

To know how Doran became to be one of the leads one
must first learn about the FIRST
Robotics Competition. FIRST
means For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology and was founded in 1989
by physicist, inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen. Kamen is
most known for his invention of
the Segway, “an electric, self-balancing human transporter with a
computer-controlled
gyroscopic stabilization and control system” (en.wikipedia.org). Through

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march 2014 issue 003

FIRST Kamen sought to aspire
to give young people the inspiration and excitement to participate
in science and technology, and
consequently, become inventors
themselves. The FIRST Programs
include:
• FIRST Robotics Competition for
grades 9th-12th
• FIRST Tech Challenge for grades
7th-9th
• FIRST LEGO League for grades
4th-8th
• Junior FIRST LEGO League for
grades Kk-3rd
• FIRST Place for ages 6 to adult

Hence, it is through FIRST
that Doran has had the opportunity
to learn more about physics, team
dynamics and sportsmanship, being an inventor and then being a
team leader.

The Saguaro Sabercat Robotics consists of high school students from Saguaro High School in
Scottsdale, Arizona. Their FIRST
Robotics Coach is Mr. Christopher
C. Brandt, who is also the high
school’s Chemistry instructor and
holds many other titles including
being awarded the 2013 Arizona Regional FIRST Competition
“Teacher of the Year” award. Mr.
Brandt’s love for science has been
the foundation for the team’s success in the three short years of
Saguaro Sabercat Robotics creation and existence.

In its first year, Saguaro
Sabercat Robotics was selected as the 2012 “Arizona Rookie
All-Stars” and earned a ticket to
compete in the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Being

new to robotics, Doran’s assisted had
the build team with wiring, build- been a part of FRC for many more
ing parts, and testing the robot. years. They battled all the way to
“The FRC World Championship in the semi-final round in both the
St. Louis was amazing. It opened Arizona and Las Vegas FRC Remy eyes and
gional Competi“Every child should
sparked
my
tions. The 2013
interest in scihave the opportunity FRC game the
ence and engi“Ultimate
Asto experience it,
neering. Every
cent” required
child
should including other Navajo the robot to
shoot discs in
have the opporkids like me.”
tunity to expethe opponents’
rience it, including other Navajo target areas for varies points. In
addition, if the robot climbed the
kids like me,” shared Doran.

Last year, Saguaro Saber- opponents’ pyramid it earned adcat Robotics dueled with top-lev- ditional points depending on how
Continued on page 23
el and veteran teams. Teams that

“I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.”-Lucille Ball