Rhode Island Volunteer seeks to give kids "best possible experience"
Mark Seidman, a computer engineer in Rhode Island, was already familiar with FIRST and robotics clubs when he was approached to provide technical support at the state FTC Championship.
As a member of the Newport, RI, Aquidneck Island Robotics 4-H club, Mark had already mentored Air Strike, a FIRST Robotics Competition team, since 2008 and was also familiar with FIRST LEGO League. Erin Flynn, the state FTC Affiliate Partner, was looking for someone to take the role of Field Technical Adviser and Mark agreed to take on the role.
"Mark stepped in and, with his quiet way, helped me figure out how the game should be run, how teams should prepare and what needed to be done at the tournament," Erin said.
While Mark was familiar with robotics, he said his first tournament was nerve racking because he had never been on the organizing side of a robotics competition.
"After I realized what position I had 'volunteered' for, I was nervous. If something with the field breaks, the FTA is the person everyone is looking at to fix it," he said
Despite his nerves, Mark got all the robots up and running at that first competition and was able to enjoy the matches and saw that all the teams were happy. He has continued to volunteer with the RI FTC organization ever since.
Mark says he really enjoys seeing how many different designs teams come up with for the same challenge and how out of the box some teams think. He has a soft spot for new teams.
"It is especially rewarding working with rookie teams," he said. "It is really cool seeing kid's eyes light up when they finally get their robot working."
When Rhode Island moved to a qualifying tournament structure for the 2013-2014 FTC BLOCK PARTY! season, Mark was instrumental in running each event.
"He was right there for each qualifier, making sure the game floor was set up and that matches ran smoothly," said Erin. "I couldn't run strong events without the support of our fantastic volunteers like Mark Seidman," she added.
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| Mark Seidman, center, works to setup an FTC field at a Rhode Island competition. |
"Mark stepped in and, with his quiet way, helped me figure out how the game should be run, how teams should prepare and what needed to be done at the tournament," Erin said.
While Mark was familiar with robotics, he said his first tournament was nerve racking because he had never been on the organizing side of a robotics competition.
"After I realized what position I had 'volunteered' for, I was nervous. If something with the field breaks, the FTA is the person everyone is looking at to fix it," he said
Despite his nerves, Mark got all the robots up and running at that first competition and was able to enjoy the matches and saw that all the teams were happy. He has continued to volunteer with the RI FTC organization ever since.
Mark says he really enjoys seeing how many different designs teams come up with for the same challenge and how out of the box some teams think. He has a soft spot for new teams.
"It is especially rewarding working with rookie teams," he said. "It is really cool seeing kid's eyes light up when they finally get their robot working."
When Rhode Island moved to a qualifying tournament structure for the 2013-2014 FTC BLOCK PARTY! season, Mark was instrumental in running each event.
"He was right there for each qualifier, making sure the game floor was set up and that matches ran smoothly," said Erin. "I couldn't run strong events without the support of our fantastic volunteers like Mark Seidman," she added.
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