Well, Looks Like Firestone Made It Yet Again...
- And This Time.. We Brought Some Friends!
I am proud to announce that Firestone made it to Worlds again.. In fact.. Two Firestone teams made it to Worlds this year! In one more addition to that, the middle school team we mentored this year, the Largos, made it as well!
Both 7316D and 7316F were able to enter off of their high skill scores from the States competition. Because of this, they were both qualified to go to Worlds.
Meanwhile, the Litchfield Largos, 1340A, were able to enter based off of winning the Design Award, won at the Middle School States Competition.
Right from the moment that each team had won their ticket to states, they were already set on one thing; rebuilding. Each of them had their own independent flaws, from team 7316F's slow stacking, to 7316D's issues with game strategy, and 1340A's faulty mobile goal life, each team had plenty of ideas of how to improve their individual robots.
The next month was spent building, programming, testing, and generally preparing for the Worlds competition. Some teams were able to employ helpers, such as Nathan Bayda helping 7316D and Charlie Gruhler and Logan Benninghoff assisting 1340A. In addition to that, some teams were able to finish early and use the Goodyear STEM Career Day as a testing day.
By the time Worlds came around, however, not all the teams were satisfied with their robots. In the end though, there was little to be done.
On Wednesday morning, the rest of club said farewell to the Worlds-Goers and wished them all good luck. They set out with their mentors; Mr. Spak, Mr. Whited, and Cristopher Morris, their assisting club-mates; Charlie Gruhler, Nathan Bayda, and Logan Benninghoff, and many friends and family members all set for one location - Louisville, Kentucky. Where Worlds would be set.
The teams arrived in the noontime and hopped right into the inspections. Once they had passed, the teams each went to their separate skills areas and worked at getting the highest skills score possible. The scores are listed below,
7316D - Rank 138, Driver Score of 62, Programming Score of 0,
Total Score = 62
7316F - Rank 209, Driver Score of 15, Programming Score of 0,
Total Score = 15
1340A - No Skill Scores Listed.
While our teams had not performed as well as they would have liked to, they were still full of energy and ready to keep going! That night, the teams split up and each went out to enjoy a meal together then to rest at their hotels. They knew they would need their strength for the next day..
The next day, each of the teams began competing in their divisions around 2:30 PM. Sadly, throughout the day, there were very few wins. Both teams 1340A and 7316F were both enduring their own problems, such as a bar breaking during a match for 1340A and what 7316F would soon come to realize as a faulty cortex.
However, team 7316D was able to secure a single win during qualifier #5 with a score of 114 points while the opposing team won only 66 points. There was also another close win during qualifier #90, where they were able to win 103 points while the opposing alliance won 110.
At the end of the day, Firestone was not fairing well, and we were humble enough to admit it. Teams began attempting to reason through their issues. 1340A even took that night to brainstorm solutions for how to fix their robot, but were unable to act upon their solutions due to a lack of sufficient pieces or time.
The day afterward, the teams were able to retry their luck.
Team 7316D won qualifier match #127 with 105 points while the opposing alliance had 73 points. They were also able to win qualifier #162 with 74 points, with the opponent have 72 points. Only a two point difference! I guess parking really did matter for this match!
Team 7316F was also able to win a match today, winning qualifier #79 with a score of 68 points while the opposing teams won 72 points.
Sadly, the Largos were able to count a win for today and they all left, planning to get plenty of rest for the next, and final, competition day.
The next morning, they all awoke ready to compete!
Team 7316D won qualifier #235 with 91 points, their opposing alliance having 90 points. Close game!
Team 1340A won qualifier #221 with a score of 61 points while the opposing team had 58 points.
Afterwards, the alliance selections began, and sadly, both the Firestone teams and the Largos were knocked out. Once the finals had finished, and the new game had been announced, all teams, both at worlds and back home, were excited for the new game! But there was one more thing to be done..
After all...
What's a worlds competition without a little fun?
Lastly, each of the Worlds teams have something to say..
Mica Heffner from team 7316D would like to say the following,
"My advice would be to take a chill pill and not stress out the whole time you're there. Obviously your team has worked very, very, very hard to get there, but Worlds is meant to be a fun learning experience. It would be a waste of a trip to Worlds if your team spent the entire time stressing about the competition, have fun and celebrate your accomplishments. Don't freak out over trying to be the best team there. Have fun and learn from the best.
Rachel Wasik from team 7316F would like to say the following,
"Don't be afraid to change your robot once you start losing cause if you change it too late, you're barely going to have time to work out the problems." She then followed up with, "If you make it to worlds, enjoy the time with the bot you love, don't rebuild and stress over the change. That's what I learned, at least."
Andrew Piunno from team 1340A would like to say the following,
"Communication is key. If you don't communicate your ideas with everyone, your team won't do well together."
~ Aine Bolton
Media Officer
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