Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard
Congrats to 20, 639, and 1405 for taking the regional, it was well fought in semifinals against you.
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Kevin, I can't understate how much we considered your alliance "the mountain" at this event. We knew if we faced you, the rest of our day would be almost decided. 5254/2791 are a fearsome offensive duo (definitely a world class combination) and 20 was sure to state how well all of you guys knew each other. Your offensive cataclysm rounded up by 2383 definitely had everyone watching. From seeing 5254 practice at Rally, to the progress you guys made through the season on through FLR, I can really see how dedicated your program is to pushing themselves as far as they can go. It's been a pleasure having you guys at FLR the past few years.
That said, I can't take anything away from 4930/3044/340. 340 is a legend in the Finger Lakes, and always a class act right up until the end. For a robot of that quality to be such a late pick truly speaks to the depth Finger Lakes offered this year. 3044, like 2791, 5254 and 20, have become spectacles at Finger Lakes these last few years, and this year they truly hit their Magnam Opus. Truly a crazy bot with such astounding accuracy. And lastly 4930. What can I even say, truly a magnificent performance from such a young team. The friends I have on 4930 have always been extremely supportive, and we frequently wished each other luck as we climbed the elim ladder together. 4930 has a truly great program and having watched their growth over the last several years tell me that this team has great things in their future.
We walked into Saturday not knowing what our Saturday afternoon was gonna be like. We had terrible consistency issues Friday, including our climber garnering us penalties that was costing us matches. By Saturday, we had those issues nailed down and were operating at almost full capacity. I've been doing this for quite some time but the time I spent with 20 and 639 today really showed me how far I have to go and how much 1405 can can improve as a whole. To pair up with a legend like 20 was truly an honor. A great team in every respect. And to pair up with 639 who has a great robot this year was a greater experience than I could have imagined. Despite being the 3rd robot on the alliance, I never felt like we were less a part of our alliance's success than our scoring powerhouse partners. We hope this will not be the last of our teams' partnerships in the future.
It's been a rollercoaster for 1405. With an event with so many teams having already competed (an such a large margin of that having been very competitive at those regionals), we were definitely wary of how our lack of experience was hitting us. We unbagged a robot that did nothing but acquire and score in the low goal, and added the climber that we had rapidly prototyped prior to FLR. We're proud to say that you wouldn't know by looking at it that that climber was nonexistent 2 weeks ago. The process we went through to develop it was a very stressed and determined one, using whatever we had on-hand (sans those shark hooks) to make it work. It's so meaningful that so many teams took such an interest in our climber and the praise we received for it was surreal.
And finally, as always, a heartfelt thank you to our friends and family on 1126. It seems like I do this every year but we cannot understate how much you guys have helped us and continue to help us. Whether it's software help, parts, strategy advice or just general support, our teams' partnership grows stronger every year and we look forward to continuing it for years to come. You guys are the best friends we could ask for and we are forever grateful for everything you've done for us. As an 1126 alumni and forever fan, you guys make me proud every day. Go SparX!