APEX BUGGY

Buggy is a Carnegie Mellon tradition that is a combination of downhill soapbox racing and relay footrace, where the “baton” being passed is a free-rolling, piloted vehicle called a “buggy”. Five ‘pushers’ from each team push the buggy around Flagstaff Hill on the uphill sections, though one pusher at a time. The buggy is steered around the course by a driver, who typically lies prone inside the buggy and is of smaller stature.

 

Races are held during the annual Carnival event in the spring semester, but teams work year-round to prepare and train for the competition. Though the competition was started by fraternities, currently there are even numbers of fraternity teams and independent teams. The design of the buggies themselves have also evolved; they began as boxy vehicles with bicycle wheels and became sleek, torpedo-shaped racers. This tradition is nearing its 100th anniversary this spring.

 

I joined a relatively young independent team called Apex in my freshman year. With only 4 years of experience and 2 buggies, the small group attracted me due to the promise of more involvement and opportunity to learn. In addition, I appreciated their culture of openness, friendliness, and collaboration.

 

Within the first year, I learned how to mill, lathe, use the bandsaw and dremel, how to use epoxy and carbon fiber to create a sturdy shell, and many other skills. I also learned many soft skills during my involvement in the organization, such as project organization, team recruitment and retention, and process documentation. I remained on the team through every semester, including my last. Apex Buggy has been one of the defining activities of my college career.

 

Positions I held on the team are:

• Assistant Head Mechanic

• PR Chair

• Recruitment Chair

 

Projects I have worked on for the team are:

• Project Phoenix 2.0 / Firefly

• Azula Steering Handle

• Wagon Steering Vibration Damping

 

Other contributions I have made for the team are:

• Swag Designs

• Paintjob Designs