We are FIRST Robotics Team 2582, the Lufkin High School PantherBots. What started as a group of 15 daring souls in 2008 has grown into a team of 43 students ranging from freshmen to seniors united with the unique goal of participating in what is called by its creator, ‘a sport of the mind’.
Every spring we, along with 9000 other teams world-wide, embark on an adventure in engineering called the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Challenge (FRC). FIRST challenges teams of students to design, build and program a robot in six weeks. The game is different every year and in the past has included games built on NASCAR, soccer, basketball, and Frisbee-golf. 100,000 students from 35 countries around the world hotly anticipate the first Saturday of January which heralds the release of the challenge for the year.
As you might expect, building a robot is no easy task. We start from scratch with nothing but a basic kit of parts, some very dedicated students, parents, and engineering mentors. With just our wits, common sense, and mentors we honor the words uttered by John F. Kennedy, “We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy but because it is hard.” Like our FIRST peers, our ‘moon’ is the successful completion of a robot that we are able to put on the game field.
Mrs.Segrest has been the head coach since the beginning of the team. She first started the team #2582 in 2008. Her role has morphed from getting her hands dirty to shepherding the Pantherbots.
Lead Mentors: Chad Robertson, Matt Millican, and Gustavo Parra
Dale Synder (Fire Dad), Tish Synder (Fire Mom), Colton McCoy, Greg Deimel, Cody Belcher, and Jess Berler
Nolan Alley, Chance Cross, Michael Lynn, Justin Snyder, Keldon McPhearson, Michael Dahlgren, Josh Ronan, Jarrod Webb, Eduardo Rocha, Eric Reyes, Daniel Gonzalez, and Jeffin James
Lockheed Martin, Lufkin ISD, East Texas Slab Master LLC, Gene Haas Foundation, Qualcom, Premier KIA, Optimum Business, Lions Host Lions Club Lufkin, Simon and Luis Henderson Foundation, and Pilgrim's Lufkin.