Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

This is big. A lot of us see 217 and 469 and we stop right there thinking you've already won Einstein. And while that can have it's truth to it, an alliance is not two teams. If people think that an alliance of 217 and 469 could do everything with just them, they are kidding themselves. An alliance is three robots, not just two, and finding the key robot after 21 other robots have become unavailable is not any easy task.

Not everyone gives enough credit to the third robot in an alliance of two powerhouse teams, but it usually is the robot that makes or breaks an alliance.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Indeed, you guys (174) were every bit as instrumental to the FLR win as the 217 and us. There is a reason you were very high up on our 'to pick after ThunderChickens" list! :D

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Our list as well.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

I agree that 217's bot is well engineered, yet I haven't seen every other robot this year so I'll withhold my top picks until the end. Rumor has it that 330 and 25 are just as formidable as 217 but much less publicized.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Very well put.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

469 and 217 won 20-3 in the final match with 217 and 469 scoring at least 15 of the goals. The third team was basically a spectator. So I have to disagree with your theory.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

There job wasn't to score all-out... Defense on the on blue robot is what enabled the alliance to put up those high scores. You over look there ablilty to do mutiply things, while good scouting teams see them as a duel threat of scoring and defense. The excuted thier strategy perfectly and thats why we saw those high scores. You do your job, you will be rewarded.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Unfortunately, I am dependent on webcasts and video for most regionals and I didn't I have the opportunity to see much of 217 this year, but I was in awe of 1114. They clearly have produced a wonderful robot that can accomplish all aspects of the game (ball control, kicking, driving, and hanging).

I also have to hand it to their drivers. When I saw them hang from the tower with 5 seconds left and they were at least 10 feet away from the tower, I knew that machine would most likely win (which they did).

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Thunderchickens are what they have always been. EPIC.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

And very green.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

Indeed. Team 2960 did an excellent job playing defense on the opposing team's lone defensive-zone robot, preventing that robot from trying to block the 'automatic roll backs', or from trying to clear out the stray balls. Definitely not a spectator.

Three teams make the alliance successful.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

2960 has some very multi-talented team members. I LOVE the Wings of Fire logo (look in the top left of this page). It was designed by a member of 2960! We saw their logo last year and absolutely loved it, so when we needed a new logo for our newly combined team, we enlisted the help of 2960. We'll be forever thankful.

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

This team is way overated. It easy to make a good robot when ALL your parts are machined in Texas and shipped back and pop riveted together. The students learn alot about problem solving there. And they expect all the awards they get and arent even excited about winning a district. The driver on the team when asked if he was excited at the cass tech district said " not really, i know we are going to win it". This team really deserves everything they get huh?

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

The rest of your post is pretty straightforward and insulting to everyone on 217, so I'll save my negative words on that for the reputation bar, but I actually have a question / point to make about the above part.

Has anyone learned anything about problem solving from operating the machines that make parts? I learn a lot more about problem solving by designing a robot than by fabricating parts! Fabrication isn't engineering, design is, and engineering is essentially problem solving. So if students are solving the really tough problems, who cares that a sheet metal facility bent some parts for them?

Re: Team 217 - Thunderchickens
 

I don't care if the parts are machined in Texas or Antarctica, what the heck does that matter? Many teams send some or all of their parts out to sponsors to be machined. There are many ways to go about this competition and nowhere in the rules does it say you must machine your own parts.

The designs still have to come from somewhere. The prototyping, design, and iteration steps are where problem solving skills are developed. Learning how to machine things is definitely a great skill to have, but learning how to appropriately apply the design process is an asset transferable to many different types of projects.