The Legacy Alternative Solar Electric Racer (LASER) club completed their first race of the season on Saturday, November 9th, at Medina Valley High School. No one would have believed the Titans were an unproven, inexperienced team after their performance on Saturday, nor would anyone believe that Coaches Mark Sherwood or Alejandro Urby could not even field a race team last year. According to Coach Sherwood, "the team was tied for 4th place after the first heat. In the second heat we were on pace to secure 3rd place and possibly 2nd, until we had a tire blow-out in the last ten minutes of the race. And we still came in 8th place. A good day's work if you ask me."
So what is so exceptional about the LASER team? Well consider this one fact. The team only has three experienced veterans (all seniors) among the thirteen members who are now mainly freshmen. The seniors have their hands full with leading, mentoring, and training. Rose Aleman is the President of the club and Team Captain, and the only experienced driver. Coach Sherwood said, "I need Rose's leadership, but most importantly I need her to mentor our new drivers Violet Crosby and Anabelle Mendez." Dante Cortez is the Chief Electrician and Safety Officer. Off the track Dante can be seen training his future replacements on the care of the batteries and the electrical system. On the track, Dante manages the life of the batteries by telling the driver to either speed up or slow down. And then there is Yesenia Pena the Logistics Chief. She is responsible for the trailer being loaded, supplies, and making sure the team is on schedule. Her other duty is collecting battery data from the driver during the race.
Coach Sherwood added, "Our students are excited and pumped. This young team did a great job! More than I could have hoped for. The Titan's have found a new confidence that will pay dividends in the long run."