To preface this:
I did some searching for a thread like this, but did not see any. If there is a similar thread, I apologize for creating a new thread.
After reading a recent thread from from Team 341 (
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=116527) on stereotyping "powerhouse" teams, I had the thought of creating a thread to document all the positive experiences teams have had with dominant teams.
My example would be my team's experience at the 2012 Championships. For the first time we were able to go (we got in off the waitlist). There, we had numerous issues that primarily stemmed from having a control system that had not been updated since 2009 (and the joysticks and C-RIO were starting to fail). We were in Newton, and one of our matches was against Team 68. Before the match, 68 came up and talked to us about spending most of the match attempting the coopertition bridge balance. After discussing it with our alliance, we agreed. During the match*, we finally succeeded in balancing for the first time all season (in a match). After the match (which we lost 17-88), a mentor a few students from 68 came over and congratulated us succeeding with the balance. Although it seems like a small thing, we were having a rough time, and the attention and praise for the small success stuck with me and the rest of the drive team. Even after another pretty lousy year (robot wise) this year, the simple congratulations still sticks with me as one of the best personal experiences I have ever had in in FIRST.
I would also like to thank Team 1717. Our one match with them was our only win at the Championship, and the entire way they reacted to us was fantastic (we had some teams put us down because we were waitlisted).
*As a sidenote: In 2012, we had two mentors who had been with the team since it began leave. They said that the one two things they wanted see in their last year with team were balancing at least once and scoring both shots during autonomous. In that match, we were finally able to do both.