Make a plan
Our notebook records goals for learning CAD, building, driving, and programming
FTC team 7305 / competition
Gearcats
We’re the Clague Gearcats: a competition team founded in 2013, bringing FTC experience to each new challenge
Inside our notebookFOUNDED IN 2013FIRST TECH CHALLENGE2026–2027: BIOBUZZ
Meet 7305
Experience to build on
7305 is the Gearcats’ official FTC team number It identifies our team at competitions and in event results We are one of Clague Middle School’s two competition teams
Our current Portfolio describes a team of eight students, with a mix of returning members and students new to the Gearcats We bring our different experiences to design, programming, and driving challenges
Our goal for BIOBUZZ is shared with the Cougears: both Clague teams reaching Worlds—the FIRST Championship
7305 in photos
Building together
In the workshop
At the workbench
Beside the practice field
From our team notebook
A few steps in our story
Milestones recorded in the Gearcats’ notebook Each season gives us something to build on
- 2013
The Gearcats begin
The starting year recorded in our team history
- 2025–2026 / DECODE
A first trip to States
Our notebook records the Gearcats’ first Michigan State Championship appearance and a second-place Innovate Award at the Ann Arbor Qualifier
- 2026–2027 / BIOBUZZ
A shared goal
Keep learning—and work toward getting both Clague competition teams to Worlds
How we learn
The work behind the robot
Record the details
Assembly notes preserve steps and ideas so they can be discussed and checked
Ask better questions
Sensor notes explore distance, color, and how robots learn about their surroundings
7305 / Coding
The code behind the robot
Programming turns a robot’s hardware into actions Code connects driver controls, motors, and sensors so the robot can respond to instructions
From buttons to movement
Driver-control code translates joystick and button inputs into actions, such as driving or moving a mechanism Clear controls help drivers operate the robot
Follow a path with Pedro
We use Pedro Pathing, a programming library that helps our robot follow planned paths during autonomous—the part of a match without driver input We can break a route into smaller steps, test it on the field, and adjust our code
Test, debug, repeat
Debugging means finding and fixing problems in code Testing small changes on the real robot helps show whether the program behaves as intended