[LeelandS]

While I wasn't there as well, I do know a good enough amount about the game played that year, and have re-watched enough matches, to know what won.

If you don't know exactly what the game was, points in Aim High were scored by either pushing balls into either of the two side goals on the ground, or by shooting balls into the center goal in the air. That year, the game was split into offensive and defensive rounds, with alliances alternating between who was on offense and defense. In an offensive period, teams were free to make shots. In defensive period, teams were required to keep one of their alliance partners in their side of the field, while the other two robots attempted to stop the offensive alliance from scoring.

Autonomous was a big part of that year. Strong teams/alliances could score 30+ points in that period, creating a huge advantage for the rest of the game. That period had it's own strategy, since robots were lined up on each side of the field, some to go up to their own goal and score, and some to interfere with their opponents. Having a good camera and shooter in this round was good, but you also had to be able to counter defense. I don't know how a lot of teams did that, but I know some teams had pauses in their autonomous period to allow would-be defenders to drive right past them, then continue to the goal and unload. Because the center goal could be located with the camera, having a good camera and programmer was a huge asset for that period, and used to great effect by some of the stronger teams!

Teams that won that year excelled at making shots at that center goal. That involved being able to sink those shots quickly, consistently, and in large amounts. Because offensive rounds only lasted 30s, teams had to be able to make the most of it, requiring a large storage for balls, and a quick, consistent shooting mechanism to score points. That also involved be able to acquire balls quickly, which many teams did with rollers (like you may have seen in 2009).

Teams had to have the ability to play offense AND defense, though. Since there were periods where you couldn't score, you didn't want to just be sitting on your hands for 30s. Some teams used this period to refill their supply of balls, while others would drive in front of their opponents, in an attempt to stop them from scoring. Robots with extreme pushing power made a huge impact in the game.

I'm afraid I don't know enough about the "end-game" to be able to tell you what strategy won for that round. I do know that the "end game" consisted of driving up onto a fairly steep ramp to score bonus points. Since the last period of play was open for anyone to score, it was a team's preference of if they wanted to climb the ramp, or shoot and score more balls. If you watch some of the matches, you may be able to see if it was a necessary part of the game at the higher level, but I do know most alliances had at least one team on the ramp at the end of the game.

Oh, and one more thing: Don't fall over.

I hope this is what you were looking for, and that it helps. If not, feel free to ask.
-Leeland