After spending a summer in preparation, conjuring funding, recruiting more members, and seeking mentors, the new year had come at last. Sadly, the year did not wait to deliver disappointment, and let loose with a massive wave of depression and sadness. The night before the FIRST 2007 Kickoff, the team Spyder president and leader, Tony Shafer, was involved in a fatal car accident. With such an influence missing, the team struggled to get back on its feet. Night after night, they tried and tried, but just couldn't focus on the task at hand. By the second week, after a meeting with Tony's parents, the team picked up the wrench and keyboard once again, determined to win the competition in his honor. Week after week, the robot, "For Sale", began to take shape, promoting the dream and morale of the team. By the end of the 5th week, the robot was ending it's tinsel stages of development, with only a few minor code corrections and decorative protection for the robot. Despite their diligent efforts, the team still held their focus of why they were doing what they were, and held a short candle-light vigil in memory of their beloved friend and leader. And, on the day of shipment, they put the finishing touch to the robot: a small sticker on the left-side panel, reading: "In Memory of Tony Shafer". Los Angeles. The place where this team had been born, roared with enthusiasm and energy. Unlike their previous years, Spyder brought a new sense of confidence and appreciation to the arena, determined to take the place by storm. As they un-crated their bot, a thought occurred; "What'll we call it?" A general hush drew across the team. They unanimously agreed to come up with a name later. That was, until their first match. The MC walked along the lineup of robots, and said: "And Team 1622! Team Spyder and their robot...For Sale!" At this, the team's eyes opened wide, and it was silently understood. The name for this year's 'bot would be "For Sale". Going on to win and lose their fair share of matches, the preliminary testing of Friday went flawlessly. Their luck kept up through Saturday, as their robot out-performed both expectations and original designs. Spyder had built a bot capable of more than they could have dreamed. And with the end of Saturday, a warming wave of confidence swept over the students. It was looking as good as their first year had been, but there was still one more day to go. On Sunday, the team suffered two devastating and overwhelming defeats, knocking them clear out of position to choose an alliance. Early on, in the first round no less, they were chosen to participate. Things did not proceed that well, however, and "For Sale" was eliminated in the quarter finals. At the end, the team jumped in joy, first at the announcement that they had won the Judge's Award for overcoming a difficult situation, and second at the announcement that they had won the Underwriter's Laboratories Industrial Safety Award. With two trophies in hand, matching their accomplishment from the two previous years, the team packed up and headed home. The San Diego regional was coming up, and they all had a bit of preparation to do. With their arrival at the iPayOne center, the team soon found itself among friends and friends alike. Accompanied by their buddies from all around San Diego, team Spyder settled down in the hustle and bustle of the rookie regional. After a promising first day of practice, "For Sale" sped around the floor, placing rings on the rack in rows at astonishing speeds. With the end of the first day came a shout for celebration. After surviving one regional already, "For Sale" still ran at optimum speeds, without a screw or bolt out of place. It was almost as if the robot had been hidden from time...
            On the second day, things started with a huge BANG, as the place jumped up, cheering, and enjoying the opening party. Led by an enthusiastic Master of Ceremonies, a parade of mascots ran around the field, tossing inflated volleyballs into the audience. It was almost as if the whole place had turned into one massive house party. Shortly after, the field erupted in chaos, as arms flailed about, rings glided across the field, and teams all began competing for the prized top-seat in the finals. You could feel the tension in the air, as many of the teams were attempting to best their efforts from the previous regional. Yet again, Spyder showed it's true colors, scoring point after point while cooperating with their alliance partners to rack up the most points of the regional. By the end of the second day, the team had found themselves in an odd position. Unluckily, "For Sale" was being pitted in matches against some of the best teams there, often resulting in a close call for the better or the worse. Returning home to rest for their third and final day, several members of the team, now formally known as the Spyder Intelligence Agency, or SIA for short, began plotting for their game plan in the matches to come. With the dawning of day three, the entire team congregated to discuss the comings of this one, jam-packed day. The pit crew began tinkering at the small dings and blips that polka-dotted the robot, perfecting it for the last few games. The SIA, spreading it's influence across a few small groups, went around, attempting to forge pre-pick alliances with several other teams, scout out possible allies, and gather some extra last-minute data on their opponents. Combined, they etched out a working machine, a machine bent on flexing the competition and it's competitors into a path they could navigate. However, things did not bend as planned, and "For Sale" began taking on water, in a short losing streak. By the time the top eight were picking their teammates, Spyder had fallen out of position to choose anyone. Luckily, "For Sale" had turned a few heads, and once again was picked for the final rounds of competition. Sadly, due to a few game play violations, the team could only sigh in disappointment as their alliance was defeated in the quarter-finals. Packing up and crating their robot once more, the team gleamed under the glory of not one, but two awards from this regional. Sporting the Safety Star of the Day for practicing safe handling of objects and materials, along with the General Motors Industrial Design Award for a robust and innovative machine. Both brand new for the team, their presence in the trophy case would be welcomed with open arms. With yet another regional behind them, Spyder had only one more competition to look forward to. That one last fling, the Atlanta Nationals, would present one of the biggest challenges the team had ever faced...
            Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgia Dome. Everything was big, tall, and pumping with energy. After a six-hour plane flight, the team walked along the streets, their eyes assaulted with ad after ad for the FIRST regional. With pennants hanging from street lights, and a flyer in practically every shop window, it was clear that the city itself was as enthusiastic about the competition as we were. On the very first day, riding along the city's subway system, Spyder got a taste of just how many teams were participating at this regional. Leaving for the event at 7:00 AM, (4 in the morning for them), the team was groggy, and still one of the last to leave the hotel. Once there, the team split into two groups; the pit crew and the cheering section. Once inside the dome, the cheerers were taken aback, for there was not just one, or two, or even three fields. There were six games going on at once, including four FRC, two Vex, and six LEGO (all on one FRC field). The pit crew had to ask for a map, since the six pit divisions made it rather complicated to navigate. The team was not only in deep water, they were in a whole different league.With the opening day behind them, Spyder began to feel that they were a bit disconnected. Many, if not a majority, of the teams had mascots in costumes dancing around the stands, with rather special cart designs floating about the pits. Pushing onward, Spyder and "For Sale" strove to prove themselves, claiming win after win on their first day. Contending not only against national teams, Spyder found itself with and against teams from Mexico, Israel, and Canada, with some teams from Brazil in other divisions. The second day the team went home, not abuzz with just their performance, but the designs and abilities of their fellow competitors. Some had better arms, some had ramps, some even had both. But this did not faze them, as they returned for a third day. With more enthusiasm than before, the team chewed through another day of competitions. They had their first few losses, and ended the day with a 3-3 record. Going home, it seemed like the entirety of the competition was being gravitated to that one, last day. With the sunrise came a new feeling. After arriving, the pit crew pushed "For Sale" to 110% working power and efficiency, shortening it's life-span by a few significant figures. With an all-out effort for their last match, the team suffered one last defeat, setting their record going into the seedings as 3-4. When it came time for the finals, "For Sale" spent its time in the pits, in its crate. After watching the divisional finals and the overall finals, Sypder sat in anxiety, hoping to hear at least one San Diego team win an award. After hearing a bunch of teams whom they didn't know, (save for 1266, awesome as they are), the team went back to the airport, and snoozed on the plane home. With several graduating seniors, Spyder is now reaching out to both Poway High School and Twin Peaks Middle School for recruits for next year. Hope to see you all again soon!