'If I'm Not Having Fun, I'm Not Doing It'

Editor's note: This is the third in a three-part series about the FIRST Robotics team at Merrimack High School and the ongoing build and upcoming competition seasons.

For Chris Petrovic, being the advisor to Merrimack High School's FIRST Robotics team Chop Shop 166 for the last 11 years has been a dream.

The Merrimack resident and his wife, Margie, became involved in the program when their children were part of it.

They love and believe in the program so much, they stuck around, even after their children departed the hallowed halls of Merrimack High School.

Chris Petrovic said he is in it for the fun of it and for his desire to be able to help Merrimack's students succeed and pursue something they love.

“If I'm not having fun, I'm not doing it,” Petrovic said. “These are some of the sharpest kids in this school... This it the most realistic program to teach them about the way the real works.”

Petrovic commended the Merrimack team for its ability to work together and really live the ideals of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) that call for team work, co-operation and helping to guide one another. FIRST's mission in part says it hopes to “motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.”

Petrovic said he sees this mission in action daily, through the accomplishments of the team and in the return of students who've graduated and give back by passing along their skills to a new team of students.

“What's rewarding for me is to see the kids coming back,” Petrovic said. “They're beginning to put back what they're taking out of the program. It's hard to put into words how great that is.”

The support of the mentors in the program and the students who come back is strengthened by the support of BAE systems – the team's biggest sponsor – and the school district – the team's biggest champion.

Not only do they receive funding from the school, but they have space to work at night and on the weekends and the have administrators and school board members championing their cause. Some school districts won't let students in after hours, or don't put their support behind the program.

In Merrimack, the team meets daily from 6-9 p.m. at the school. On weekends, they are there most of the day and the families get together and turn the place into a smorgasbord of food on those days to keep the kids fueled and energized. Having the freedom to work in their own environment is invaluable.

“I don't think you'll come across a more supportive administration as you do here at this school and in this school district,” Petrovic said. “The support the school gives us is more valuable to me than any money.”

And like Petrovic, the mentors come back year after year, volunteering their time to teach the teens the things they need to know to succeed in this competition and in real life.

“We work to put ourselves out of a job by the end of build season,” Petrovic said. “If we can't stand there with our arms folded at the edge of the pit watching (during competition), then we haven't done our job,” he said.

Petrovic, who works for BAE – and incidentally got the job through his connection with FIRST, rather than the other way around – said working with these students is the most rewarding job he's ever had.

For a team of 60 kids, they get along exceptionally well, Petrovic said, and its the competitions, the travel, the shared meals and the shared rooms or sitting next to each other on a plane where he says he really sees these students form the strongest bond.

“These kids are making friends for life,” Petrovic said.

And traveling to different regionals is a lot of fun, he said. Having the opportunity to meet new people and see how different regions play the game differently is something else.

“We play like the Bruins play, we play hard,” Petrovic said. “But all teams don't play like we do, so you really learn something from getting out there.”

In the years he's been involved, Petrovic has traveled with the team to Cleveland, Wisconsin, St. Louis, Atlanta and Las Vegas.

“This whole program started 20-plus years ago with (Dean) Kamen's idea to spread the word about science and technology, but it's become so much more than that,” Petrovic said. “We are giving these kids the tools they need to succeed in life.”

Merrimack High School will compete in the Granite State Regional at Manchester's Verizon Wireless Arena on March 1-3. They will also travel to Raleigh, N.C. for the North Carolina Regional on April 5-7. For more information about Chop Shop 166, and how to help them fundraise for competition, visit their website.

Also in this series: