7089 Cyborg Eagles takes 2nd place in their first competition!!
The last minute finishing touches made all the difference in the competition. Based on last week's competition at IIT,(where we weren't competing) we expected a somewhat leisurely day, with down periods between the matches. Wow, were we wrong. CMSA did a great job hosting the event. They queued up three match alliances in advance and kept the two match game fields in play almost continuously. They stuck to the day's schedule, finishing on time.
What that meant for our team is that we were either competing or in a queue almost continuously. This left very little time for adjustments and changes.
The alliance aspect of the play was very interesting in that the teams could assess their strengths and weaknesses, forming strategies based on what would work.
At one point, our robot got stuck on the peak of the ramp. Another robot rammed into our during the autonomous phase. The impact swung our robot sideways so that it straddled the ridge. This took enough weight off of the drive wheels that we were just slipping the tires. Our alliance team, Crazy Eights" stopped picking up blocks to come to our rescue. They rammed us again to twist us off the peak. This caused their robot to tip over on its back. We all gasped with horror, thinking that their good turn cost them the match. Like Lazarus, their robot rose from the dead. They used their game piece manipulator to stand their robot back on its wheels! Very creative and cool.
The alliances change with each match, so you get to know quite a few teams. Robot Incorporated from Barrington, IL had a design that could raise the flag and hang on the bar withing the 30 second end game. As the flag winch was being spun, their chin-up arms were also being raised, so they could just drive up the ramp, hook on and raise themselves off the ground. The design was awesome and well though out.
7089 was in sixth place going into the Finalist Alliance selection. We were invited to be in alliance with 5928 and 5200 for the final competitions. The matches were very close and exciting. The zip ties holding the flag pole upright broke on the last match. There were rumors of a rematch, but in the end, we won 2nd place and had a great time. They gave the Team a nice trophy which you can see in the pictures below. All of the Team members, Coaches and Mentors also received a nice FTC medal as well.
PHOTOS
What that meant for our team is that we were either competing or in a queue almost continuously. This left very little time for adjustments and changes.
The alliance aspect of the play was very interesting in that the teams could assess their strengths and weaknesses, forming strategies based on what would work.
At one point, our robot got stuck on the peak of the ramp. Another robot rammed into our during the autonomous phase. The impact swung our robot sideways so that it straddled the ridge. This took enough weight off of the drive wheels that we were just slipping the tires. Our alliance team, Crazy Eights" stopped picking up blocks to come to our rescue. They rammed us again to twist us off the peak. This caused their robot to tip over on its back. We all gasped with horror, thinking that their good turn cost them the match. Like Lazarus, their robot rose from the dead. They used their game piece manipulator to stand their robot back on its wheels! Very creative and cool.
The alliances change with each match, so you get to know quite a few teams. Robot Incorporated from Barrington, IL had a design that could raise the flag and hang on the bar withing the 30 second end game. As the flag winch was being spun, their chin-up arms were also being raised, so they could just drive up the ramp, hook on and raise themselves off the ground. The design was awesome and well though out.
7089 was in sixth place going into the Finalist Alliance selection. We were invited to be in alliance with 5928 and 5200 for the final competitions. The matches were very close and exciting. The zip ties holding the flag pole upright broke on the last match. There were rumors of a rematch, but in the end, we won 2nd place and had a great time. They gave the Team a nice trophy which you can see in the pictures below. All of the Team members, Coaches and Mentors also received a nice FTC medal as well.
PHOTOS
VIDEOS
Watch more videos of individual matches at our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/CyborgEagles?feature=watch