Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

This year, both teams built wildly different robots, on a scale that hasn't been seen since 2009. Since then, both teams have built different robots that have done the same tasks. But this year they (unwittingly) built complementary robots. The same kind of complementary robots that they would team up with at Worlds. These two teams built Einstein calibre robots, but to get there, they need to work with teams with different skill-sets. 2056 and 1114 were getting game-play knowledge... but not for regional play. For Einstein play. Being able to interface with other robots of differing skill sets is the key to becoming World Champs. And that takes practice.

Is it hollow to set a world high score, and then break it, and then break it again? Is it hollow for 1325, whose autonomous mode helped keep the red alliance in the game after blue pulled ahead in finals-2? Is it hollow for 2056 to not want to lose, to continue the streak that has put them on the map and made them a household name? Is it hollow for 2056 to go undefeated at a regional, a feat not accomplished by teams like 118, 148, 254, 2826, 67, 610, 1114? All of these are huge victories that in some ways eclipse a regional title.

Let me phrase this another way: both of these teams have sponsors. These sponsors expect that they are sponsoring winning robots. These sponsors are very involved and very interested in how these teams do. Say 2056 doesn't choose 1114, and then loses to them in the finals. They have to go to their sponsors and explain why they set up their own defeat. That they basically sabotaged their own winning effort, and that they threw away a streak that is 7 years in the making. I'd imagine those sponsors would think twice about giving money next year. I know I would.

--

When looking at 1114 and 2056, you have to acknowledge that they're simply on a different plane than the rest of us. Even amongst powerhouses, they stand as strong teams. They don't play the "let's get to Worlds" game that the vast majority of FIRST plays. They play the "let's be continuous Einstein contenders." To do this means to take their machines to the very limit, a limit best explored by working with a like-minded team.

Let's not forget that the Wild Card system is designed to bring more teams to CMP who wouldn't have made it otherwise, which is great. No need to take regional wins from those who deserve it.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Going back to 2010, Simbotics is 9 for 10 at regionals. And those nine are with 2056:

GTRE 2013: 2056 #1.
GTRE 2012: Simbots #1.
Waterloo 2012: Simbots #1.
GTRE 2011: Simbots #1.
Waterloo 2011: Simbots #1.
Pittsburgh 2011: Simbots #1.
Pittsburgh 2010: Simbots #1.
Waterloo 2010: Simbots #1.
GTR 2010: Simbots #1.

What happened in the tenth (GTR-W 2012)? 3161 racked up 20 coopertition points to eke them out on qualification points and get #1 seed. 1114 was #2, 2056 was #7...and obviously there was no way those two were going to end up paired in eliminations at that point. The former got silver with 3161, the latter got gold.

In summary: Don't like the 1114-2056 combo? Outrank them.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Or perform well enough so that 1114 or 2056 would think they would have a better chance of winning with you than with the other. 1114 and 2056 don't always choose each other when given the opportunity. Think IRI.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

In my 11 years of FRC experience, 1114 has been dominant since 2005, and has 20 regional champions banners to prove it. 2056's 15 regional streak is nothing short of amazing. I've spent much of the last 11 years studying the Canadian powerhouses, and learning what works and what doesn't.

I wouldn't want them to not join forces for elims unless it was a truly better decision for them. 1114 was considerably stronger than either 1241 or 4343, and so I fully support their choice. Playing the way they do has helped to make the Canadian second tier so strong that they can consistently go to other events where they aren't as overpowered, and bring home hardware. 610, 781, 772, 188, and more I can't remember right now have all been champions elsewhere.

As a mentor for the #3 seed and captain of the Finalist alliance, I'm really proud of the team. They set out this year to perform better than their #30 seed, 3-7-0, not selected for elims performance in 2012. I never expected this weekend to go quite as well as it did. Losing only 1 match in qualifications to an alliance including 1114 by just 6 points (67-73) and then 2 more to 1114/2056 in finals with triple digit losing scores is certainly an improvement to say the least.

Congrats 2056/1114/1325 on another well-earned victory, and congrats to 781 on a long-time-coming RCA.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Quickly posting and never again in this thread.

1114 and 2056 are like brothers, why would they go against each other if they can add to how legendary their success is, has been, and will be.

This thread better not turn into the thread it turned into last year.

That is all.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

FIRST was supposed to be about inspiration, it has come down to sponsorship and dollars and cents.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

lol

Aside from this clown....

Congrats 2056, 1114, and 1325 on another big win! 1325 was a steal in the 2nd round! Way to go folks.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Not to mention success at the Championship event as well. 188 and 610 were division finalists, and 781 was a finalist on Einstein in 2011.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Then get out there, in the community, and raise some money! These teams have worked hard to get to where they are, and you have the ability to do the same, with a lot of hard work and dedication. A really good post I saw a while back from a member of 973 (I believe, and I wish I could find it) recalled when they really kicked it into high gear and became the force they are today. You can make up ground and compete with these guys, as long as you don't spend your time complaining about how you can't.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Anything 2056 does that isn't putting in 110% effort into keeping their winning streak alive would be just plain stupid. If you have a problem that they picked 1114 (again), then build a better robot than them. Top tier teams don't pick teams because they are friends, they pick the best team remaining. Remember you don't have to be better than both of them, just one of them.

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

I want to pull out the proverbial wacking stick.

The success of teams of 1114 and 2056 is inspiration, it inspires me to one day start FRC teams to combat the success of said "powerhouses."

I'll use a story from my FTC days. Back when I created the team 3864 I had already been to the FTC World Championship once and I knew who the powehouse teams were...2818, 1, 4447, etc. and after seeing their robots that year it inspired me to create a better team with a better robot. That rookie team went all the way to win the world championship in 2010. Now that success is unprecedented and is the exception to this argument, but teams like 1114 and 2056 are inspiring kids everyday and setting the bar high saying "you want this blue banner...well you come over here and get it."

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Hey- did anyone notice the other robots that were playing at this regional?

Or should we have a moderator rename this thread to "1114 and 2056 go to GTR East"

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

Everytime I saw your team number I chuckled saying, "This team needs to win..." Also. Solid 30 pt climber, You have an blog posts on how it works anywhere?

Re: 2013 Greater Toronto East Regional
 

I'm just going to put this here, for my first response to that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9kpTvm6CYA

My secondary response:
I don't care whether a team has a lock already on a Championships spot already, or if they even had a automatic spot onto Einstein even; I would NEVER want them to go less than their 100%. It's a disservice to the men & women that organized & volunteered at the event, the sponsors who helped pay for the event, the spectators, the students competing, and themselves as a team/community. Your response is the evidence of wussification (reference to Christopher Titus, look him up) in a generation. You are never entitled to success. You must WORK FOR IT. If you want to change the competition dynamic, as Billfred said: outrank them.

It disheartens me every time to see these kinds of posts; we should be praising excellence from teams like 1114 & 2056, and emulating it; not invalidating it. There's a reason 1114 won the Championship Chairman's Award; they are a model, nay, the model for FIRST. I have tried to follow their standards through my years in FIRST after losing to them in 2009 at Championships during Division Elims, and it's worked out for me pretty well. Inaugral FRC Dean's List winner, starting my own robotics program, working for GeorgiaFIRST; I'm better off because I learned from them, not because I thought to bring them down in others' eyes (which I couldn't honestly, if I ever wanted to).

Final note: maybe you should watch this as well. It's their 2012 CCA video; it was one of my main inspirations in starting my robotics program later in 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFwz3FZqiuc