The Clague Gearcats, Team Number 7305, have officially started their off-season practice. After a season of designing, building, programming and driving robots to perform their best for competitions in November, the team is reuniting for weekly practices in April. The off-season for the Gearcats comes with many challenges, like improving or even making a new robot for the next competition to be held on May 10, near Bay City, Michigan.

 “The goal for off-season training is having fun and learning about robots,” Gearcats Coach Anouk Girard said. 

This shows that Robotics is not all about competitions; it’s also about learning and having a good time. 

“The most important thing I’ve learned is that there’s always a way to make your creations better and improve your ideas,” Gearcats team member and eighth grader Aarush Bora said.

This off-season work will also benefit next year’s team and help them prepare for competition. 

“We can build bases for next year’s team and provide a stable start for their designs next year,” Gearcats team member Leo Manolidis said.

Over the next five weeks, the Gearcats will have a lot of busy and fun-filled practices. The Gearcats will persevere, continue to learn and prepare for whatever challenges they may face at the spring competition.