[Alpha Beta]

On behalf of 1986, Team Titanium, I wanted to give some shout-outs on the Carver Division.

First off, the FTA's were amazing and took extensive time to ensure that robots connected to the field. At one point in an elimination match they even caught a camera bandwidth problem before the match started. These guys were proactive instead of reactive. Loved it. I wish every struggling team who wants to blame the FMS for their connection woes could work with this fine staff and find the real source of their troubles. (Thank you for following us back to our pit to diagnose a gyro issue with our autonomous. Above and beyond my expectations.)

The Referee's were fantastic too. I've been at regionals where the refs explicitly state that any doubt (often created by poor sight lines) in regards to a 20 point auto or hand placement on the chute door would be ruled against the team. Here it felt like the benefit of the doubt always went in the team's favor and the refs were trying their hardest to fairly enforce the rules without being adversarial. (By the way, thank you for letting 193 play in our first QF.)

Carver had some great depth and a couple truly outstanding competitors. 971 had an amazing machine that finished qualifications in dominant fashion. Fastest stacker in the division, and we all knew they were working on a wicked fast can stealer in the pits. The #1 seed was well deserved. 1717 and 368 were two other dominant machines that smoothly turned the landfill into 3 capped stacks. It was a pleasure to watch you all in action.

Our scouts and strategists tagged (1.) Fast Can Burglar, (2.) Able to use tipped cans, and (3.) At least 2 full stacks as the minimum skill set needed to make our short list for #1 pick. Only 5 teams fit that mold and we were thrilled to invite 1625, Winnovation to join our alliance. Their ability to cap a 6 stack also served as a nice insurance policy if a can rolled off. They turned out to be everything we hoped for plus they tossed in a tethered ramp for bonus. It was an honor to finally get to play together.

4253, TAS Robotics out of Taipei, Taiwan had a fantastic internal ramp, could put up 2 stacks, and avoided the complications of a tether. There were a couple of teams with that skill set left, but what sealed the selection for us was their dominant human player. Very pleased to invite an international presence to our alliance.

MORT Beta, 193 was a steal with our final selection. Who would have thought that 2 solid stacks would still be available that late in the draft. 3rd pick of the #3 alliance just like MORT, 11 on Hopper. Also a big part of helping our alliance set the high score in the first round of quarter finals. Bragging rights back home?

Opening eliminations with a 225 (a feat topped only twice during Carver eliminations) validated everything the scouts had hoped for in assembling this alliance. Unfortunately all 3 robots had a mechanical malfunction in our 2nd quarterfinal and the hit to the average score was fatal. While a best 2 out of 3 format might have allowed us to live another day, having the most consistent machines advance also seems just.

Best of luck to everyone in the off-season. We had a great time on Carver.