[Joe Johnson]

Just back from the Reading NE FIRST District.

Awesome event. Well run. Great venue. So much to like.

But that's off topic. My reason for writing is to make a point to inexperienced teams just how vital scouting can be.

We were the number 5 seed at the end of quals and moved up to the #4 drafting slot when #2 picked #3. The new number 3 alliance captain drafted us but our scouting team had gamed out all the options and were confident that we should decline and lead our own alliance*.

We drafted the 18th rank team (RAGE - #173) on the first pick. When the serpentine draft came back, we could not believe our luck when the the 29th seed (The Outliers - #5687) was still available.

I am confident that few in the field house thought much of our picks, but our scouting team was on the moon, convinced that the we had the makings of a strong alliance.

As it turns out, we were a well matched set of teams, taking home the blue banner and scoring 145 (currently a NE FIRST top score) in one match and averaging 105.

I relate this story not to brag but to emphasize to teams that without our scouting data and analysis, there would have been no chance of our finding these awesome partners.

Scouting Matters. Ignore it at your own peril.

Dr. Joe J.

*nothing against team #3566 - they're a great team, we just felt there were teams that were better matched to our robot's capabilities.