[Andy Baker]

This is a report from the TechnoKats at GLR.

We ended up 5-2 in the qualifications, ranked #10, and scooted up to be alliance captain of the 7th seeded alliance.

We ended up getting beat in the first round of the finals. It was fairly dramatic. We had about 12 balls in the stationary goal, and were going for a 2x cap. Then, our gripper fell off of the arm and crashed to the ground from about 10 feet up. At that moment, I remembered that the hook we previously removed has a double function - to keep the gripper on the arm. Ooops.

During the next match, as we were frantically fixing our arm, our alliance partners could not match our opponents. We lost in 2 matches.

All in all, I'd say we did OK. Our team was great, as everyone pitched in to make the usual TechnoKat effort. We had a great pit crew, a good cheering section, and numerous people in other pits, helping teams out.

My favorite moment of the weekend was fixing our arm after it broke in the elimination rounds. Although we did not play again, it was a sight to see. Here was the scene: Our robot's arm was not functional and it was positioned almost straight up. I was standing on our robot cart, attaching the hook. Another student (Steven Jones) was helping me attach the hook while sitting on a student's shoulders. Right below us, our lead electrical student (Greg McCoy) was re-wiring a Globe motor. At the other end of the arm, 2 students and 2 engineers were replacing a drill motor and plastic mounts.

So, it was one of those moments where we HAD to get the robot fixed and it did not matter who did it. Being one of those teams who gets accused of having the engineers do all of the work, we were proud that we proved that our students were the ones who helped to fix the 'bot when it was crunch time.

We will definitely be ready to roll in Chicago.

Andy B.