Although it was several months ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was what I would call a dusty Colorado Friday. The sky was overcast and th

What Blasterhacks Taught Me About Leadership

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2024-04-25 23:00:07

Although it was several months ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was what I would call a dusty Colorado Friday. The sky was overcast and the trees depressingly barren. The air smelled of cow farts, which was typical when the winds changed, blowing in cold air from the beef farms in the nearby town of Greeley. In my mind, this signaled snow.

I walked into the Green Center, the building in housing the opening ceremony of BlasterHacks, the hackathon run by the Colorado School of Mines. I sign in at the entrance and walk down into the auditorium.

As I greeted my teammates, Grant Lemons, Lukas Werner and Byron Sharman, I noticed the nervous smiles on their faces. You know the kind, the smile with the inner eyebrows slightly raised, shoulders tense. We were excited, but we also knew we had 36 solid hours of programming ahead of us.

After collectively downing several whole pizzas and listening to the rules of the competition, we made our way over to Labriola Innovation Complex, the hours-old manufacturing building the competition would take place in.