Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to 1241, 1477 and 610 from Galileo division!

When you guys are at one hundred percent in autonomous and teleoperation, there was absolutely no stopping you at all.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

It's an amazing feeling to come home not being able to see the championships and seeing one of the guys who taught you most everything you know win the title of World Champion. Congrats Nick Lawrence, the rest of 610, 1477, and 1241! You guys definitely deserve the title.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

GOO Canada!!!! 610 and 1241

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Huge congrats to 1241, 610, and especially 1477. It's been one heck of a rollercoaster year for 1477 and it's great to see them end it on such a high note. And especially great to see them bringing that kind of hardware back to Texas. I'm expecting a shrine at the Fall Remix this year, guys. Erm, and maybe give the robot a rest at the Remix since you've worked it so hard this year? (Seriously, that robot has to have three seasons worth of hours on it by this point.)

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to 1241, 610, and especially 1477!!! 1477 has had excellent robots over the past several years and overcame some obstacles this year just to make it to St Louis. You guys are a top notch team and I'm so glad all your hard work has paid off with a World Championship.:D

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Ditto.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

1241,610,1477 What can I say.....AWESOME work...your alliance deserves a hearty round of applause. Congratz to the three of you. Well done.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Huge congrats are definitely in order to 1241, 1477, and 610 - you guys were truly exceptional!

We really enjoyed 610 coming down to New Hampshire to play at the Granite State Regional... we definitely were not expecting to meet again on Einstein! You guys are a class act with a great robot!

1241, I do not know much about your team from this year... I do specifically recall working with you in 2011 on Curie in qualifications - I was very impressed! You guys are great at making the most of all your resources at the event to do your best to win the match!

1477... I know little about your team and have rubbed shoulders... but I've watched from New England as you guys become a Texas powerhouse to match any other!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

1477, goes to 4th regional to qualify for Championship.

Goes to championship, wins Championship.

Well played.

Also, 610/1241 are no joke. Awesome play by both machines and excellent play by the whole alliance. Definitely some of the best final matches in a LONG time.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to all three on the alliance - brilliant play throughout the whole event's eliminations, taking every match to a rubber and then winning it all! I don't know too much about the Canadian teams, but after playing with 1477 in two regionals this year and in several years past, I'm glad their dedication and hard work paid off.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Also, now 1477 doesn't have to fret about qualifying for Championship next year like they did this year.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Great Job Galileo Alliance! Congrats from 842! We would have love to been on Einstein, but having you three win the world title is the next best thing. At lease we can say we lost to the best! Special thanks to 610 for the kind friendship they shared since coming to AZ regional where we were partnered up with them for the win! Hope to compete as partners again maybe next year on Einstein!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I was standing right next to them - figured I'd make myself useful. :)

http://youtu.be/3XOzG5WApnE

Never give up...never surrender! Huge congratulations to Teams 1241, 1477, and 610 - it was a privilege being a point-blank witness to your awesome, gritty, determined, tenacious, resilient, professional, insert superlative here accomplishment, from the beginning of divisional eliminations to the final match buzzer on Einstein!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I see a few posts saying "Don't know much about 1241".

I know a thing or two about them... they are one of the reasons our team was able to get started in FRC when they offered to billet us for GTR back in 2004. We were both rookies, but they were the Rookie All-Star and had a uniquely effective machine.

They are one of the many Ontario teams (as is 610) that while well-known in Canada, are perhaps less well-known across FRC than 1114 and 2056.

But I guess they are a bit more well-known now... and I should add that they are just as awesome off the field as on.

Congratulations 1241 (and 610 and 1477)... what a way to cap a decade of hard work!

Jason

Storm Robotics 2729 had the pleasure of playing with 610 in one of our qualification matches. What a great group of people to work with, always keeping their cool and professionalism throughout. I'm very happy for you!

We didn't have the chance to work with 1477 and 1241 but recognize their dedication to excellence from my observations in the pit and on the field. Job well done to all!

Nate

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

This is directed at 610, 1241 and 1477.

First of all, I have to commend every robot on the 610/1241/1477 alliance for having incredible robots. 610 is so fast when they were shooting, 1241 improved so much by the time they reached champs—and they were one of the best teams in a powerful year for Canada at the start. 1477's 7-disc autonomous and extra support as a shooter proved incredibly valuable for the alliance.

So we're getting into the alliance selections, and I notice that 1241 picks 610 and 1477 as their teammates. While I knew that would be an impressive combo that could make it far against any of the other alliances, I didn't think they could beat the heavily favoured powerhouse alliance of 1114, 118 and 4039. I'm not alone in thinking that they'd run away with the Galileo win.

When I went over to Einstein to sit down, I noticed that Mr. Lim was walking around. Puzzled, I kept looking around for 1114. Then I saw 610, 1241 and 1477, and I figured "Boy, was I ever wrong".

When you guys had supposedly lost in the 2nd match on Einstein, myself and a couple of other 781ers got a little down at the results. With all due respect for the other alliance, I really wanted Canada to win. When the news was released that they had actually WON the match, the same 781ers and I exploded. I felt really, really good and I wanted to see you guys win.

With your absolutely insane disc scores (around 220 or so was a common trend, it seemed) and consistent 10-10-10 climbing, I figured it would be a very interesting finals. I had actually predicted that 469 and 33 would win it all, considering how powerful they were in Archimedes (I even predicted 469 winning it all with either 254 or 987 from the start). They're both teams I respect to a very high level and I was cheering for them when they weren't playing against 610/1241/1477 (sorry, a little Canadian pride here).

So when it went to 3 matches for the first time in... who knows how long it's been, I found myself cheering more than I had ever cheered before, hoped more than I had ever hoped before (with the possible exception of my team in the 2011 World Finals). More cheering and hoping than I had for us getting picked by a team. Even more than my hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens.

Then you did it all. 610 and 1241—along with 188 and 2056—I believe to be the Canadian teams most deserving of a championship than anyone besides 1114. I am still feeling a buzz from the happiness I felt at your win.

This whole wildcard system is going to be amazing for this kind of thing happening in the future. While you both made it for other reasons, I believe this will open up a lot more appearances at Champs for teams like you guys, 1310 (who was absolutely amazing, I loved watching them in every match) and 188 (fingers crossed!). Not only that, but you've proven that the abilities of the elite tier just below 1114 and 2056 can accomplish so much—enough that regionals won't be completely dominated by those two anymore.

610 and 1241, congratulations on being the first ever multi-Canadian alliance to win Champs, congrats to winning your first championships and congrats to being the 3rd and 4th Canadians to win.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

congrats 610, 1241 and 1477. Its good to know that when we lost in the Galileo finals we lost to the world champs

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610 on their World Championship victory. It's been a long time since I've seen them in person but both 610 and 1241 were awesome teams to meet when they have come down to the Arizona regional in the past. Canada is becoming very powerful in FRC and hopefully this win can make everyone in the states know that it goes beyond the members of last year's Eh team. I don't know 1477 as well but I hear their name often enough to know they are doing some stuff right down in Texas.

So when is the Canada district happening? MSC could get a run for its money soon.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulation to 1241,1477, And 610. You were a great alliance and I am at least gave the World Champs a run in our division. Also thank you for proving that my prediction of the type of alliance that would win it all was correct.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

All I can say is:
This alliance up against an FCS? Simply outscore them! This alliance against two FCS's and a floor sweeper to pick up missed shots? Win anyways.

Congrats guys, you were awesome.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Mazel Tov! to 610, 1241, and especially 1477 our Bayou friends.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to 2013 Einstein winners especially to Texas Torque Team 1477. You have a super team and produced a super championship robot. We enjoyed playing with you at Lonestar and Alamo and look forward to joining up with you in the future.:D

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I feel like this was a true alliance of underdogs and the out shadowed.

In Ontario, 1114 and 2056 outshadow 610 and 1241. In Texas, 118 and 148 outshadow 1477. Most performance metrics dictated that 1114/118 should have won. Then 33/469 should have. But this alliance managed to pull out an amazing and well deserved win with teamwork. Congrats guys!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

First of all, the Einstein matches were fantastic. For every team that made it there, congratulations. I was on the floor and got to watch bits and pieces of every division's eliminations, and while some were surprising to me, you could tell how much each of those four alliances gelled together by the time they made it to Einstein.

Now, congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610. Even after all the hullabaloo about full-court shooters, 50 point dumpers, and 30 point climbers, the alliance that won it all showed us that 2 exclusive feeders, 1 floor pick up, 3 10 point climbers, and a lot of heart and execution were all that was necessary to win. Wasn't the "flashiest" way to play, if you will, but it was a thing of beauty to watch this game the way it was played in the finals.

After watching a whole lot of robotics from my house this year, I saw all three of these teams, and the improvements, especially from 1477 and 1241, that they made throughout the year. In a season where 118 and 148 were strong in Texas, and 1114 and 2056 (and IMO 610 was just as good) in Canada, then it was tough for 1477 and 1241 to get the praise they deserved. Well done it earning it.

I watched the Galileo alliance selection play out for most of it, and I was STUNNED to see that 610 fell that far down the selection process. Granted, I didn't get to see them at all before Saturday afternoon, but this was a team that would have been dominate everywhere else except a world where both 2056 and 1114 would tag-team you... I knew that whoever was lucky enough to snag them in the second round would have a great chance of knocking off 118 and 1114.

Great job once again! I was so fun to watch!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to 1477, 610 and 1241!

It was an incredible thrill to finish our FLL tournament activities and find four Canadian teams and two Houston teams engaged in three of the most intense matches I have ever seen, the Galileo Semi's. As Canadians living in Houston, our loyalties were torn and we cheered for both sides till we were hoarse. It was so amazing to see you all work together in the Einstein Finals to outscore two FCS' with your speed and precision shooting. Kudos to your engineers for creating such precise and efficient scoring machines and kudos to your drivers for employing them so effectively. We are sorry that our other commitments kept us from seeing more of your matches.

1241
It was a pleasure to meet Amanda and Florence in our pit area. You are doing fantastic things that will make all the teams in TO stronger in the coming years. Considering the uniformly high level of play I saw on the webcasts from the Toronto area Regionals, that is a frightening thought. It was an even greater pleasure to later finding your team climbing up through the Galileo Eliminations an on to Einstein.

610
We met your team members in your pits last year and they graciously answered all our questions about their robot and how they designed it. We have always admired the elegance and efficiency of your robots. Your team members all had a look in their eyes that told us they did not just want to succeed, they needed to succeed. It does not surprise us that you are now World Champions.

1477
Your team has always worked hard to improve and you all deserved to be rewarded for your hard work. We could also see the need and determination to succeed in your eyes. It was such a thrill to see your team fight to overcome adversity over and over again in the last few days. Those struggles must have given you the momentum to propel you to the top. Thanks also for so graciously sharing your bus with us. It was an honour to be able to hang out with your team (win or lose). It was also fun to think that each of our teams had defeated past World Champions that day. I wish I took a picture of Scott curled up in the front seat with the trophy.

We trust that your hard work dedication and passion for excellence will lead you all to victory again.

Phil So
Bud-Botics, FLL Team 7372

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congrats to these Galileo champs for being awesome teams that finally got their skill and lady luck to work together in a winning combination (and thanks for asserting my predictions that Galileo would win vs. Archimedes in 3 and not have a dedicated full-court shooter when they won).

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I had 14 hours to congratulate 1477 on the bus ride back to Houston but that still wasn't enough. I have seen Texas Torque develop over the years from the Northside Roboteers and their 1st Regional Win in 2008 into one of the peranial Texas powerhouses (and lately World Powerhouse). Torque is a model team for everyone in FRC to look up to. They have been doing it right for many years now and their hard work has paid off more than ever.

They had what can only be described as a rollercoaster of a season and it ended on the highest of peaks. Three events without even a finalist appearance, last minute champs qualification at their 4th regional in Week 6 (undefeated at Razorback). They then completely changed their shooter for championship moving away from a 3 wheeled banebot shooter to a two wheel shooter design with new wheels. This and a few programming issues led to several issues that they had to work through on Thursday and Friday before they were ready for eliminations on Saturday. 1477 hit all 7 discs in auton maybe once or twice this season before putting the robot down on Einstein; they hit them all several times when they needed every disc. Had you told anyone on Torque at the beginning of the year that their lift would be the reason they could defend 469 in the finals on Einstein they would have thought you were crazy.

1241 put together the best (obviously) lower seed alliance at the event. 610, 1477 and themselves were dynamic in every sense of the word. They had several tricks they didn't ever need but could have used. Mid-line auto, and full court shooting come to mind.

I was on the Galileo field as an inspector and marveled at this alliance's play. Every time it looked like the #5 alliance was going to go down they fought their way back and prevailed. It is the most impressive Championship run I have ever seen. All but one of their rounds had to go to a rubber match (They set the record for most eliminations matches played on the way to the title at least since 2002). Not only did they go to 3 rounds they lost the first match in everyone except for the division final. That means they played an unbelievable 8 win or go home matches. How they managed to deal with the stress is remarkable especially after being told they lost the event and then getting to keep playing.

Congratulations to the new WORLD CHAMPIONS 1241 THEORY6, 610 The Coyotes and 1477 Texas Torque. 1477 is now the highest numbered team to ever win the championship.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Thanks everyone for your incredibly kind and gracious words.

Words cannot express how I'm feeling right now, because this is something I've never felt before in my life. I am happy and grateful for so many things at once, that it all is such a blur. I simply can't sort it all out, and may not be able to for quite some time.

What I can say for sure is that I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have worked with everyone on the winning alliance. I've had amazing alliance experiences in the past, but I don't think I've ever quite felt like all 3 drive teams were operating as one large drive team as we did yesterday - all with the same philosophy, determination, and ability to share, communicate, read and react two and three steps ahead. I wanted to give a special mention to Thuvishan R, the drive coach for 1241 who drove the co-ordination process between all 3 teams. He is a special young mentor who is now a World Champion drive coach, and has the medals and scars to prove it ::ouch:: . I personally attribute a large amount of our alliance's success to him, his ability to plan, deliver and execute a "simple" strategy, ensuring all the "little details" were explicitly laid out - i.e. switching at the feeder and pyramid for all 3 robots. I wish all of FRC could have seen our strategy sessions, and pre-match huddles. They were special, and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I learned a lot from Thuvishan.

If you had told me we'd have a legitimate shot at the World Championship on late Saturday morning, you'd have promptly been met with this expression: :rolleyes: I am forever the optimist, but things were pretty grim for 610 at one point. Obviously things worked out (VERY) well for us in the end, but it certainly was a whirlwind tournament for us!

I'd love to recount a coherent story of our 2013 CMP one day, but until then here are some random thoughts:

"This one's for you 188! None of us would be here without you. To me, you represent what FRC is all about. You're next."

"Mark Breadner and family - you made this happen. Thank you for everything."

"This one's also for the Ontario underdogs 188, 1310, 1334, 772, 3161, 2702, 3683, 2809, 4814, 4039, 1503, 1547, 4069, 2852, 781, 1305 and more. We live in an incredible region for FRC, and we're still getting better. Scary thought."

"Mid first-round pick? No? Late first-round? No? Err... second round pick? Disappointing, but ironically the second best thing to happen to us this weekend!"

"If there's any team who can understand what kind of teams 1241 and 610 are and our experience playing in Ontario, it's 1477..."

"You can tell these 1477 guys have competed in 4 regionals. They've seen everything. Nothing phases them."

"None of us have anything to lose."

"1114 and 2056. Woodie Flowers said it best: Compete like hell on the field, help each other off of it. Thank you both greatly for the blocker materials, and for the Einstein scouting assistance. No doubt, I expect us to still try and crush each other on the field in the future, but healthy rivalries have pushed us all to be better. Here's to this one! Team Canada Robotics forever..."

"Did that girl just tell Lang (our operator) that he was hot, high-fived him, then walked away?"

"Lang? Hello?"

"Galileo Match 109: Deadly tall FCS opponent, a robot that does everything else, and a defender/linebacker. So who's up for playing some defense with an 84" blocker? 1114, 111 or 610? Well, any of us COULD do it... but who'd look good doing it?"

"I genuinely thought the flowers were too pretty to be shot at, and hoped they would survive the match. The hot pink boas, I could've done without"

"Wow that match was still pretty close..."

"The teams from Arizona, are some of the nicest in FIRST. 842, 1726, 1011, 2486. Some of my favourite teams to bump into."

"How is one supposed to react when you walk into your pits, and it is decorated with flowers and hot pink boas? And strangely, over night, your all-boys school has somehow managed to recruit a brand-new all-girl pit crew, who are all wearing team + school attire. Thanks SWAT 771, easily one of the most memorable moments of Champs for us!"

"There are a lot more ground pick-ups on Galileo than I originally thought."

"Everyone is terrified of the FCS. Tall FCS + linebacker + ground pick-up is the strategy du jour, and we are none of the above. "

"Okay... I've spoken to 4 teams, and none want to pick us. Should I be worried?... yes."

"No one wants a cycler. Not even a pretty darned good one."

"Mr. Lim, a team dropped by our pit after match 109. They said they just added us to their pick list because they were really impressed by our blocking ability. If they need a blocker for elims, they might consider picking us."

"Me at the time: ...great... :confused: didn't we score 112 points by ourselves at BAE? Are we really doing that badly? Maybe we need a bigger FRC Top 25 (Ranked #10) sticker."

"Me just before the 20th pick during alliance selection: HEY 1241, WE HAVE A FREAKIN' SWEET BLOCKER!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE PICK US!!!1!!!one!!!!111!!!eleven!!!"

"Okay, now what do we do with 2 cyclers and a ground pick-up?"

"JNo: you know, there's only really 12 cycles of discs in your stations. That's 4 per robot. Even under defense it's really not that hard to cycle all the discs, and not miss any. Think about efficiency, vs the missed discs by opponent FCSes. There's even time for 1477 to sweep some of their misses up, and to tie up the opponents high-value climbers."

"Shut up JNo. We're going to FCS whether you like it or not."

"One match later: I'm sorry JNo."

"That was an early climb... the opponent's best cycler sat there on the pyramid stationary for 40 seconds while we cycled away at full strength and passed them. Not expected, but we'll take it if it's given to us. We shouldn't have won that match. Strange."

"Let the FCS shoot. Cycle hard. Steal their misses. They can't defend all 3 of us. The numbers don't lie, we should come out on top. Their FCS % is good, but our cycling % is better. We win if we both shoot ALL the discs."

"Don't wear the medal... put it in your pocket. It's curses and superstitions from here on out."

"What are we doing Thuvishan?!"

"Hello Einstein! Meet the Galileo Double FCS + Ground Pick-Up alliance! Hopefully your scouts were paying attention. ::rtm:: PRACTICE SESSION SURPRISE!"

"Ouf something cut out AGAIN. Check the connections to everything! Tighten everything up. Was that a loose cRIO power connection? Argh @ those tiny screw terminal connectors."

"Recipe for success: Cycle ALL our discs. Don't miss. Block <60" FCSes. Steal their misses. Delay their high value climbs. Climb for 30. Serves ~230 points."

"Assume both alliances will shoot all their discs in a match. You should be able to tell the winner from the number of discs on the floor, given equal climb/auton points. See why we shouldn't double-FCS now?"

"Ouf... dead for 25 seconds again. Wait it's the radio? Not the cRIO. Swap out the DC-DC converter, cross your fingers, and have another radio programmed for the next match."

"Hmm... I see how we got 225. 254 for the opponents was surprising, especially since one of their robots sat motionless the entire match. We should send a student to ask the refs to double-check the scores."

"Mark Leon: This is why we do the math!"

"254 final score, less 20 climb, less 42 auton leaves 192 in teleop. That's 64 discs scored in teleop. With two robots, they'd have to both score 8 cycles @ 100% accuracy in the match. Neither remaining robot was an FCS, and one of them spent the last 44 seconds climbing the pyramid. On top of that they would have had to score ALL 51 of their discs, and steal and score 13 of ours, assuming we even missed/dropped that many. They had discs in their feeder station at the end of the match, which made this even more unlikely. Something does seem off. Send the students to the refs again with the math."

"Uh oh, they're lining up the robots for Finals. If this match is started and there WAS a scoring discrepancy, I don't see how we could ever go back and fix it."

"Students, politely remind the refs that if there IS a scoring discrepancy and it's not corrected, the last thing anyone wants is another Einstein situation like last year... "

"Wow... they did it. They found a math error in the addition of the discs when they were counted, and changed the final score of the match. I feel both great and terrible at the same time. My heart really goes out to the other alliance. They're feeling just like how we were minutes earlier. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"What do you do against 469/33/1519? Kimura, Zondag and Streeter. Good to see you all again! It wouldn't be so bad to lose to them now, would it?"

"What are we doing Thuvishan?!"

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

A few more raw videos of the Einstein celebration, following the one I originally posted. Not as interesting as the first one, but I'm sure some folks will like seeing them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4zcfE4TfUY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-EtzZho4Q

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

This I am not suprised about. There is no substitute for incredible strategy discussion!

I was down on the floor with the other division finalists, and when the 254-225 score was shown, we all said "that doesn't seem right".

But, the amazing thing was the students/mentors on 610 were really "doing the math" to figure out how it was impossible for that score to occur. They were throwing numbers around so quickly, that my head was spinning trying to keep up.

I have no doubts that strategy sessions with students and team members from 610 would be incredibly detailed and explore all possible scenarios. Way too smart for me.

Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610 on an incredible World Championship win. Revel in the joy of winning a FRC Championship!

The hardest part is still ahead. Once you know what it's like, you never want to experience anything else ever again. Not winning just got 10X worse than it was before.

-Adam

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congrats to 1241, 1477 and 610- Champions of the WORLD.

We played with 1241 in one of our last qualification matches and had a great experience with them. They are a smart, easy to work with team who built a great robot. The title is well deserved.

I have friends on 1477 and 610 and it was absolutely amazing to watch them take home the Championship. Super stoked and proud of you guys, you all played amazingly.


-Brando

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congrats to 1241, 1477 and 610 from S.P.A.M. The Einstein teams delivered a great set of matches!

Eric

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congrats to 1477, 1241, and 610!!

I don't know much about 1241 and 610. However, 1477 is held in high regard in Texas and Louisiana for their gracious professionalism at the regionals they attend. They have helped us multiple times to fix problems on our robot.

We also discovered that we were the first team to beat 1477 in the season along with the help of 231 and 3696. Our whole team loved the idea that we had given the World Champs their first loss of the season :) . But obviously it didn't affect them any hahaha.

Once again congrats to the winning alliance.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

To be my first year coaching in FRC and 9 years into the program, it still hasn't registered. Everything feels too surreal….

Ever since our inception, Team 1241 has dreamed of winning the championships. In 2004, our rookie year, we felt like we had the robot and alliance to take it all the way home, but in a mere few matches, it was all gone due to lack of experience and great game play by the teams we were facing against. We re-evaluated our approach and tried to learn from our experiences. Then in 2011, we once again with a little bit of luck thought we had the alliance and robot to go all the way. Then the unthinkable happened. After the 2011 season, I personally was heartbroken, angry and disappointed at myself in the events that transpired.

After the 2011 season we had a lot of ups, downs and a LOT of luck that got us to the semi-finals in our division. I began to wonder, how many more chances would we really have, or how long would we have to wait to have our chance at a showing on Einstein? This year with bill 115 passing, we did not have the ability to use any of our schools facilities. With the help from our lead teachers and First Canada, we were able to secure Sheridan College as our main source of work-space for our build season. Also, luckily with the help of our municipality, they provided us with a work-space to be used as a practice facility. With all this being said, never before have I neither seen nor been a part of a team who was so driven towards success despite all the negative actions which transpired all around. We constantly discussed areas for improvement throughout the competition season with the ultimate goal of taking worlds as our main objective. Every team member was inspired and driven towards the goal.

From our administrative mentors to our external mentors, communication was often an issue due to the fact that our central facility and our second Home (Rick Hansen Secondary School) had been taken away from us. This only served to make us that much harder to prove our self-worth. To a certain degree, we took many inspirational teams, such as 1114, 2056, 67, 254, 987, 33 and 469 to name a few, to push us to work harder and try to reach our goals. We took criticism and turned that into drive and motivation to fix what we needed to, in order to provide us with consistent results and performance which would translate to success on the field.

Team 1241 did not necessarily have an amazing regional season when competing against many top teams which are underrated throughout the world, as we were a regional finalist at won Engineering Inspiration at the Greater Toronto Regional East. Despite all the negativity, we focused on execution. The saying goes, “luck favours those who are prepared”. Every team member performed at the highest level this weekend, constantly pushing each other to grow. We were not about to let this opportunity slip through our hands despite not seeding first and being in one of the deepest divisions that we’ve seen in a while.

The feelings that we felt this weekend are too overwhelming to even be described. Assembling the underdog alliance of 1477 and 610… Earning our first trip to Einstein by winning arguably the toughest division this year… Then finally finishing our Ultimate Ascent and winning our first championship.

This feeling is truly indescribable. You dream of something for so long that to a certain degree it seems unattainable, especially when you think of all the skill and ability that many teams around the world bring to the competition year in and year out. Anyone who knows me or Theory 6 knows how badly we wanted this. There's nothing quite like this.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible. There's so many of you.


Team 1477 Texas Torque - We wanted a team who had the flexibility to be a cycler, have a 7-disk autonomous capability and have the ability to be a strong defender. I am in dismay at how it required a last minute fourth and final regional just to qualify for Champs. The Texans had some jamming issues throughout the weekend, but never gave up. I've said it time and time again. 1477 was the glue that held our alliance together. You guys were amazing to work with and anything we asked you guys to do, you guys did it to the best of your abilities and that's all we could have asked for. The way you guys compose yourselves as a team is quite inspirational and it was a long time coming for you guys, congrats!


Team 610 The Coyotes - We've wanted to work with you for years. There is no better performer than the Coyotes. This team just knows how to win. No matter what adversity is thrown their way, they always find a way to pull through. The fact that you guys even fell to us as a 2nd round pick we knew was our good fortune. We were not about to pass that kind of opportunity up and I’m so happy we didn’t. Thank you Mr. Lim for your kind words, as I mentioned prior to alliance selections. I was inspired by you at FLR 2009 when we had the chance to work with you in one of our matches. I loved the way you composed yourself, as well as the rest of your team throughout the entire tournament. It was a pleasure and honour working alongside you.

The Canadian Teams in Attendance - It was great seeing all those Canadian flags waving in support of us during the Einstein matches. It was a true honor to represent our country. There are too many people to thank and name. It brings me joy to think of everyone who provided their support and the kind words our team received throughout the competition. In addition to all our Canadian friends, a thanks to all the teams in the GALIL-LEO division! The chants were electrifying and we could hear your support on the field, even over all the other commotion that was present.

A couple personal ones:

Mr. Hobbins – I have known you ever since I was 12, you have helped shape me into the man I am today. I'm grateful towards you for so much. Your continued support and valuable advice is a direct correlation on the man whom you see before you.

Mark Breadner – words cannot describe how you have helped us throughout the years. You have given us opportunities and are the driving force behind FIRST Robotics in Canada. You have always come out and encouraged us after every small win, pushing us, always asking if we need help, and talking about our vision for FIRST. I personally want to thank you for all your support and welcoming personality.

Mr. Lim, Mr. Rip, Parth P., Kajeevan A., Sharven M., Pranit T. and Nick L., just to name a few - Winning the championship was everything I could have ever dreamed it to be and more, but part of what made it special was to win it with friends and quite frankly now family. You guys are awesome, and there's no one else I'd rather share this title with than the friends I’ve grown up with and learned to love.

To all the THEORY6 members - You guys kept me going for the past 9 years. I've been through some ups and downs in my life, but you've been the one consistent factor. No matter what else is going on, I can always count on the THEORY members to inspire me and motivate me. The bonds on this team are so much more than that of just being simple teammates. You are truly my family and my best friends. I look up to each and every one of you in different ways. You help define the standards and morals that I live my life by. There's really no other group that consistently makes me smile and laugh the way you do. This journey has been amazing, and I look forward to seeing where it takes us next.

After all said and done, it was dreams come true for all of us. And who better to celebrate and share it with than friends and family. The motto for the alliance goes, "Without one, there is none".
#HowdEhTeam
#ThreeCyclersForever
#TheTheoryOfTexanCoyotes

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Ain't that the truth; I've never been a part of a Championship alliance but that is appropriate sentiment for winning at all levels.

Congratulations to all deserving - may this light a fire under you to work harder than ever!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I agree 100% with this post....this is the next and hardest step in your FIRST challenge you three VERY deserving 2013 World Champions. Go drink champagne from the cup in 2014. I salute your 2013 achievements, your alliance was AWESOME.....now bring it home again.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

On behalf of Team 2056, I want to express our congratulations on the huge win. It's been something that we have been chasing for years, and I can only imagine how sweet it feels. All three of you played exceptionally well, and should be commended for a phenomenal performance. There was nothing magical about it, no fancy strategy. You simply outplayed the best in the world. Simply fantastic.

And to 1241, and 610, thank you for showing what FIRST in Canada is all about. I look forward to playing both with, and against our newly crowned 2013 FRC World Champions. It sure has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

This weekend was an amazing experience. It was a long season for Texas Torque with quite a few ups and downs. Even as it was happening, I do not think I really believed we were playing on Einstein.

Thank you to FRC Team 1241: Theory 6 for choosing us to be part of your alliance. Along with Team 610: The Coyotes, we formed a good alliance that got better and better as we played together. T came up with great game plans for each match and managed all three teams well as he watched the field. More than once you came up during a match to remind us that we needed to cycle, ground intake, or defend. When I got a chance to watch some of the YouTube videos of the matches, I kept seeing 610 driving to the back of the pyramid shooting or cycling back to the feed station. What a work horse.

It was an absolute privilege to play against so many great teams as we made our way through the Galileo and Einstein elimination rounds. We went three matches against nearly every alliance and if we replayed the matches the outcomes could have easily flipped. Allen pointed out we played 8 win or go home matches during our run.

I wish the scoring error in Einstein SF2-2 had never happened. I have dealt with similar situations in the past and felt really bad about the emotional swing the members of teams 303, 1640, and 3476 experienced.

I also want to thank Team 118: The Robonauts for sharing their practice field and expertise with us over the course of the season. I firmly believe we both benefited from practicing together and were pushed to be better. Texas Torque appreciates your support and friendship. One of the reasons I enjoy FIRST so much is the relationships we have developed with other teams. It is so much fun to play with or against our friends.

I also want to thank all our sponsors, especially Innovation First International and Halliburton. Getting to Einstein and winning the World Championship is a direct result of all your assistance. Halliburton has sponsored 1477 since its inception in 2004 and IFI joined us this past year.

Mr. Rip

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Great work all around.

Also, the Canadian teams have just been featured in the Toronto Star.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Thanks Travis - we at 1241 have always had tremendous respect for your team. I especially liked the moves that you displayed at FLR to stop 340 from high hanging. Great courage to wait under the pyramid to push them away :) We definitely worked very hard to continue onto Einstein. And after going 10-0 in 2011, then loosing in the semi's on Newton, wow, that was hard to take. When they said we were done/out this past semi on Einstein, that brought back 2011 memories. We are all just very happy here, and we are already working hard to prepare for 2014!!!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Thanks Tyler
It was magical, and everything one could imagine - but, how surreal it was too. It really didn't hit until later that night! We at 1241 feel especially grateful to have had the pleasure to work along side great teams like 2056, 1114 and many others. Your drive for success, and pure excellence in machine design and function, is to some degree responsible for our good work. I put out a call to all teams, all Canadians to strive to push your limits, and raise the bar so that you too will experience success at this level. See everyone in 2014 or sooner (IFI?)

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Thank you for the kind words, John. I know 1241 is an impressive team based on recollections going back to when 48 regularly went up to compete at the Canadian Regional/GTR's of yesteryear. Many of my Canadian friends also speak very highly of your program. Plus, the powder blue and orange tends to stand out, so you guys are hard to miss. :)

I think you mean IRI. :p I'd love to see you guys there. I don't think you'll have any problems with an invite. ;)

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congrats to 1241, 1477, and 610!!!

1241 has always been one of my favorite Canadian teams back to my first year in FIRST (2006) when we were finalists with them at the Phoenix Regional.

1477 was a great opponent (with the coolest team name and logo) last year in Curie as well who snapped our undefeated streak in the last qualification match of the season. I was certainly pulling for them when I heard they entered a FOURTH regional this year to qualify for the Championships. What a great story to be able to tell from now on.

610 has been on our radar this year since Week 1 with their dominating performance at BAE. Their driver skill was incredible for an early event and even more impressive (after we got to talk with several of their mentors in the pits last weekend) was that they didn't have a practice bot. What a great organization.

I agree with Adam's quote below, though, so I'll expect to continue to see great things in the future from all three teams.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Congratulations to the new world champion alliance. Those were some of the greatest matches I have seen all season. It was just a great testament to a solid plan and teamwork.

1477 It has been great playing with you over the years and the championship is well deserved. Ya’ll always put great robots on the field and are a team that we look up to.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Let's take a look at how many matches they played.
Now, there were 2528 teams that played this season (Registration 2013 thread), and 8244 matches played (The Blue Alliance). This gives about 19.5 match slots per team (6 slots per match), or about the average number of matches played in one season by a team this year (a surprisingly high number in my opinion, I'm honestly worried I made a mistake here). Really, 1477 played about 4 seasons worth of hours, and at Championships alone played more than one "season".

For a bonus fun fact, 1477 was present in about 0.97% of matches this year. Additionally, that robot played for exactly 3 hours worth of competition matches this year.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

That got me thinking about how many matches they get to play with the district system. 469 had 95 matches this year.

Also congratulations again to the World Champs.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I'd like to add my congratulations to the 2013 FRC World Champion alliance of 1241, 1477, and 610.

Although I personally didn't have an opportunity to interact with these winning teams at the Championship until after their victory on Einstein, I know from qualification match alliances with 1241 and 610 in prior years at the Championship that these teams not only build top-notch robots, but are class acts that understand and embody the goals of FIRST. We've never before been on the field with 1477; hopefully they too will be able to count us as friends after our three matches on Einstein!

Furthermore, with 610 coming to New Hampshire's Granite State Regional this year, we were able to get to know some of the students and coaches on 610 a little better. (Hi, Mr. Lim!) They even provided inspiration and technical information on their shooter to us at the GSR Week 1 regional, enabling us to experiment with improvements and changes to our own shooter after the event that ultimately resulted in us increasing our own accuracy and reliability at full court shots for the North Carolina Regional. In short, without the "secrets" 610 freely and openly shared with us, we likely wouldn't have qualified to attend the Championship event at all, much less wound up on Einstein with 33 and 469!

The 1241/1477/610 alliance played superbly together as an alliance -- topping us fair and square in clean, well-fought matches for the Einstein finals. We're thankful to have had the opportunity to play in the big show, with all of the FRC world watching.

For 1519, though, this posting couldn't be complete without a big THANKS to our alliance partners, The Killer Bees (33) and Las Guerrillas (469)! We're especially thankful to the scouting and strategy folks on 33 who saw the potential in our robot and team to bring some significant capabilities and unique diversity to complete the 33/469/1519 alliance, despite our rather mediocre 50th place ranking in Archimedes and our 4-4 record. We made some significant improvements on Friday evening / Saturday morning which were demonstrated in our only Saturday morning qualification match. Before 33 picked us, we were concerned that we may be packing up our pit in a few minutes. Instead, our robotics team had the most incredible ride of our 9 years to date! However, we wouldn't have experienced any of it without 33 and 469 leading our alliance.

The whole concluding day of the 2013 FRC Championships is a day I'll surely never forget. Thanks to 33 and 469 for inviting us to share the magic with them. We'd love to be allied with either of your teams again some day; I can only hope that your teams both feel the same. Thank you!

There are a few other teams that deserve our thanks, too: Without Team 435, The Robodogs, picking us at NCR, we might not have been in St. Louis at all! In the CMP pits, we could not have repaired our shooter on Friday without the encoder MARS 2614 generously gave us, and Team 1334 helped us out with things like thread taps and talcum powder. Please know that you were each some of the many teams in FIRST that helped us this season and you deserve a portion of the credit for the recognition we received. Thanks!

Kudos to the 2013 World Champions - 1241, 1477, and 610!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Now that I have had a couple days to digest it all, I'd like to share my thoughts on the whole experience.

Our goal this year was to "dance on Einstein". Just making it to Einstein was a huge achievement for our team. I couldn't believe when we actually did it!

A lot of luck was involved, and it all started with our final qualifying match on Galileo. We were up against 118, and desperately wanted to squeak out a win so we could be an alliance captain. We had a strategy planned out involving one of the many great full court shooters from our division. We figured this was our only change against the potent combination of 1114 and 118. So it was pretty discouraging when we lost the match. But this ended up being the best thing that could have possibly happened to us! Nobody had even considered making an alliance with three cyclers, but when 1241 picked 1477 and us, we were pretty stoked. This was way better than any alliance we could have come up with.

What emerged was a simple strategy of cycling like crazy, shooting all of our disks, and using 1477's amazing versatility for autonomous and defense.
1241 was a great alliance captain, and kept all teams in synch. I was pretty happy that we just had to focus on doing what we had been doing all along.

We kept thinking during the competition season that our robot needed more to be competitive at a higher level. The floor pickup we put on in Waterloo was okay, but needed so much more work to get it right. And it threw off our driver's confidence since it hit the pyramid a couple times and he was worried about breaking it. I hope we as a team can learn the value of doing less but doing it incredibly well.

I sure hope not... Winning is a great feeling, but it's over in an instant. I hope we can be satisfied with our efforts if the robot we build does everything we wanted it to do. We work hard, we play hard, and the rest is up to chance.

Thank you. We really do owe a big thanks to both 2056 and 1114 for dangling the carrot just beyond our reach every year. You inspire us to try harder and to someday reach your level of play. Our next big challenge is winning a regional in Ontario :)

Rob

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

Thanks for all the kind words to the #TheTheoryOfTexanCoyotes alliance, it means a LOT. They do.

Now that you have heard from our coaches, please allow me to show my appreciation for you, my fellow FIRSTer, on how you have changed students’ lives, and along the way, mentors’ lives too.

I still remember the afternoon when I walked into the classroom during 2013 kickoff as a rookie mentor. The excitement from the student leaders talking about their own departments was obvious. Throughout the season, reality kicked in (e.g. that darn pyramid is just so hard to climb; why does the blue frisbee fly differently than the white one?! we gonna have to face the dynamic duo 1114/2056 again in Waterloo, this time, without our best friends at 188; etc.)

Thankfully, our coaches persevered, leading by example. Students followed as a result (well, most of the time). We made it to Einstein and the rest is history.

On my flight back, reflecting on this whole experience: I wondered… what have I learned?

• “Grit” pays an enormous role in everything one does… Randy Pausch put it nicely in his last lecture… “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
  
  
• The more you put into something, the more you get out of it, and the sweeter it feels when the effort bears fruit. “The biggest and widest grin comes from the guys who persevered.”
  
  
• Mistakes are not only good; they are essential to success. Without them, there are no innovative designs. Don’t fear them. Embrace them. (just don’t make the same one twice… ☺ )

Inside our alliance, we had a motto that says “Without one – There is none.” It’s true from a micro-view within our crazy cycling alliance. But now that I have a chance to reflect on it, it’s also true from a macro perspective.

Without all of the passionate people in this competition, there is none.

So, thank you for making FIRST such a meaningful endeavor. And yes, FIRST does change lives.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

This reminds me that Ontario is really competitive ! Competition is a great thing and I'm glad to see 610 step up their game and win in a big way.

Its not surprising to see that Einstein featured some of the most competitive regions of FRC.

Ontario (610, 1241)
Michigan (469, 33, 862)
MAR (303, 1640)
California (1678,3476)
Texas (148,1477)
Northeast (1519)

5 out of the 12 teams came from District play.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

This. When winning Championship seems 'easier' than winning a regional in Ontario.

1241 has won 1 regional ever, 2005 Waterloo. That was before 1114 was wildly dominant, and 2056 didnt even exist yet.

610 has won 3, 2012 Arizona, 2013 BAE, and waaaayy back to the very first FIRST Canadian Regional in 2002, before 1114 even existed.

Someday soon one (or more) of the Canadian second-bests (1241, 610, 188, 1334, 1310, 4343, 4001, 1503, 2852, 2702, 3683, and more) will build a robot that can hang with 1114 and 2056, and will break the 'exactly 2' top tier robots mold that has left 1114 and 2056 winning Ontario regionals 13 times together.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I've stated my congrats on Facebook already, but thank you and congrats 1477 for the inspiration you have brought me since I first became friends with James Tonthat. James, you and your team, along with Sean (2415) and RC (1323), have shown me how much a team can transform and become a very powerful competitor. Thanks for the inspiration through out the past 4 years. You serve as an example of a mentor to look up to.

I don't really know 1241 or 610, but I'm sure you all serve as an inspiration to those who have seen your progress as well.

Best of luck in the offseason!

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

What a horribly written article. So many errors, plus its riddled with sentiments unbecoming of FIRST.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

I hate how so many newspapers (and the general public) think that FIRST is akin to battlebots. We have spent quite a few years telling our local newspaper what FIRST really is. You have to just hammer it into them every time they write an article what FIRST is really about.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

It would be worth writing them a letter. The Star has a reasonably simple process for submitting letters to the editor. I expect that the journalist covering the story would also be notified of related correspondence.

Keep the letter relatively short—two paragraphs is good. The format doesn't require proof of every assertion, merely a reasoned opinion or two.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

That is the most ridiculous thing I find from the community outside of FIRST, they all think robotics is either Battlebots or something that is easy and boring.

Re: Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!
 

... or we could write letters to the newspaper asking them to give us more coverage on robotics, regardless of whether it's 100% accurate or not.

Convince them it's the next "up and coming" sport and that they need to be scooping it over the other media outlets.

Pat this guy on the back, and get him to come back for more.

Truthfully, I don't think robotics out of the "any media coverage is good media coverage" phase yet.

Our focus needs to be to "Make it Loud" first, then worry about the accuracy of whether G18 / G30 interaction rules were properly conveyed in the article.

These writers are covering a brand new sport they've never seen before. We sat down with them for 20 minutes to try and deliver as many salient and media worthy points to cover. It was a lot harder than you all think.

I told him that robotics is a "full contact sport," and his eyes perked up. I mentioned that robots do smash into each other at up to 20fps, and can cause some serious damage. This was not a lie. I didn't go into the specifics of protected zones, entanglement, frame perimeters and bumper rules. I didn't want him to write about them, because quite frankly a) the mainstream wouldn't much care, and b) I barely understand them myself!

Although not the focus of the competition, hard robot hits are a very salient, and exciting (i.e. marketable/LOUD) aspect of what we do. They make a good hook that leads into the discussion about "being so much more than BattleBots."

We need more "Cool article, tell us more about these robots, who built them, what are they supposed to do, how does the competition work, what's the story behind the students? I want to know more" comments to the author.

Not more "That article sucked, therefore you suck" type comments. I doubt that will get us far in terms of increasing media exposure.

In fact, the latter thinking just might be the reason why robotics isn't nearly as "loud" in the mainstream media as it needs to be. By nature, we FIRST folks are terribly picky, and detail oriented in nature. Everything needs to be PERFECT, including this article.

However, I ask that we all tread carefully, and please remember what is in the best interests of "Making Robotics Loud!"

Treat this as a great, but imperfect first step... much like our students do every day in our robotics labs. Do not shut him down, but instead demand more...