The Patrick County High School Robotics Team requested corporate sponsorship from Mechanical Designs of Virginia for the 2015-2016 competition season. In response, company president Wayne Gilley purchased t-shirts that the Cougarbots will wear in competition this year.
The shirt has the traditional green and gold colors of the school but takes on a ”special” meaning this year because the team has adopted a “go green to get the gold” motto. The motto reflects an environment sustainability project the team is working on in conjunction to the robot.
“With everyone watching their budgets these days, it was very generous for Mr. Gilley to show support to the team,” Coach Stephen Biedrycki said. “We are very grateful to him and his company. This sponsorship frees up team funds for the expenses associated with food, lodging and additional robot parts.”
This has not been Mechanical Designs of Virginia’s first contact with the Robotics team. The relationship with them goes back several years, starting with team touring their site on two occasions. “Having the team see all of the components from idea to design to programming gives them a sense of how the real world applies engineering to industry,” said Biedrycki.
He added, “These are some of the same skills they are learning through the First Tech Challenge robotics program that they are involved in. It is hard pressed to find these same skill sets learned in a traditional classroom.”
In addition, Mechanical Designs of Virginia has custom made the team’s assigned robot numbers that all robots are required to display. The team gets positive comments of the numbers every time they have the robot out in the community or at competitions. These placards also serve to protect the robot’s hardware components and sensitive wiring.
Gilley has offered additional support for designing and manufacturing any specialty parts that future robots may require. The team hopes to maintain a long-term relationship with the company, touring the facilities from time to time and soliciting their laser cutting capabilities. The robotics team wishes to thank Gilley for all of his support.
