Kelssy Modaff
Position: Lead of Public Relations
Grade: Junior
Why did you join the team?
I joined the team because I had a friend whose brother was very involved in robotics, and he really seemed to like it. I went to the first meeting to try it out and fell in love with robotics ever since.
Why did you want to become CBO?
I wanted to become CBO because my role last year involved a lot of researching team history and synthesizing data about the team, so I got a lot of good ideas about how we could improve and build on what we’re already good at, especially on the business side.
What is your favorite team memory?
My favorite team memory is pretty much the entire Colorado Regional this past season- I was really proud of how well we did in all aspects of it, and it was also super fun seeing friends from other teams. Getting to experience it all with all my amazing teammates just made the entire thing better.
What are your plans for business sub-teams?
My plans for business subteams this year is to apply the system that worked really well for technical last year to our business side, which means streamlining communication and fostering interconnectivity.
Beck Brau
Position: Chief Technical Officer / Chief Executive Officer
Grade: Senior
Why did you join the team?
I went to the first meeting freshman year only because my brother made me. But after the first meeting, I was hooked. I saw our robot designed for the 2022 season made completely from scratch, as well as all the materials and tools utilized to make it. But more importantly, I saw the returning members excited to be back from summer break, I saw everyone chatting up this year’s game with so much excitement and anticipation. While yes, the robots are cool and yes, I love competition season, Cougars Gone Wired would not be who we are without the people.
Why did you want to become CTO/CEO?
Every year in the fall, we host a barbecue, and at the end of each barbecue we have a water balloon fight. When the water balloon fight is coming to a close, a few team members grab the cooler full of water and dump it on the CEO. Whilst having a cooler of water dumped on me during our team barbecue was not the only reason why I want to be CEO, I’m telling this story as I feel it illustrates our team dynamic. I wanted to become CEO not for the title, but because I believe in leading a team where trust, laughter, and shared moments—like a surprise soaking at the end of a barbecue—are just as important as the goals we achieve together.
What is your favorite team memory?
My current favorite team memory was Qualification Match 12 at the Missouri Regional. Before the match, I realized one of our alliance members would be unable to attend this match, and the other had a critical breakdown, leaving them unable to score. As Drive Coach, I should not tell my Drivers—the 2 people controlling our robot—that we would be the solo scorers. I don’t want them focusing on anything but our robot, and the knowledge that our robot would be the only scorers would affect their performance. During the match, we were keeping up with the opposing alliance, which absolutely shocked me. After the match, I remember looking at my Driver, Ethan, and hearing him say “Holy crap! We could actually win this match!” This match will forever stick with me and will always be one of my favorite memories.
What are your plans for technical sub-teams and the team as a whole?
We have restructured our leadership in a few ways, consolidating a few sub-teams. The current plan for technical subteams is going to be similar to last year, starting with good preparation in the off-season. We will be designing and producing a robot made for the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Tournament, or KCMT. This is to develop our team’s technical experience before the real build season. During build season, we will continue to focus on rapid prototyping, forethought integration and data driven designs.
