Re: Is This Right?!?!?
I really want to clear everything up here and now.
I was driving for team 358 in the round you are referring to and there was nothing planned about destroying the mouse. We were paired with team 56, who can grab 2 goals and load them with balls and has a very good braking system. We (team 358) are mainly a defensive robot with a pusher arm and cross axis drive system, which seconds as a brake. We were against team 514 who can grab 1 goal and has a lifting arm, which is a very powerful robot, and team 329, the team with the mouse. Our strategy (358 and 56) was for team 56 to go out and immediately load up on balls. While that was going on 358 was going to help by pushing a goal past all the balls and guarding it for 56 to grab load up with balls and plant in the goal zone. Then 358 was supposed to go back and push 514 into our home robot zone along with a goal that they hoped they were going to be guarding or just a free goal out of the other teams goal zone taking 10 points away from them. Then hopefully 329 would be holding a goal in the goal zone for them and be letting the mouse back into their own home robot zone like they usually do. We (358 and 56) were going to leave 329 alone to do their thing b/c we wanted the mouse to go back to their home zone. That plan would have given 358 and 56 a 36-30 win. But because nothing ever goes as planned, 358 was being lifted up by 514. Because I (the driver for 358) thought that was considered a pin I was waiting for the refs to give the 10 count and for 514 to have to put 358 down (After the match we found out that lifting a robot is legal but because they didn’t have us against the railing, a wall, a goal or another robot we were not pinned). During that time I believe 329 was being smart and saw that since they were winning by a lot and they thought that 358 wasn’t going to be able to get down and get back into their home robot zone for 10 points they sent the mouse out into our home robot zone to maximize their Qualifying Points. While this was going on I was trying to get our team’s robot free and back into our home robot zone. On the way back to the home robot zone I saw that the other team had a goal full of balls in their goal zone so getting back to the plan I pushed it out of the goal zone and into the robot zone with our robot moving it out of scoring position. Unfortunately the mouse was in the line of fire and it was truly an accident that it was damaged.
About the comment “They kept pushing the robot into the wall, AND it was against the wall right in front of them!!! Not to mention on the big screen at the time for all to see (across the field from them so they could see it)”. First, I did not continue to push the goal into the wall after it hit the wall, Second, anyone that has been behind the glass there knows that if there is something small, such as the other teams mouse, against the wall it cannot be seen by the people behind the glass and Third, whoever is driving doesn’t look up at the big screen to see what is going on during a match, I am usually looking directly on the field to see where I am driving our robot.
It was truly an unfortunate accident.
And about the comment “a crewmember said that he clearly heard the operators laughing that they finally "Crushed that little thing".” When I pushed the goal out of the goal zone I didn’t realize all the cheering was because the mouse got crushed and not b/c I pushed the goal out of the goal zone until way after the match. I was just excited b/c we won the match, I didn’t even know that the mouse got crushed. But as to my teammates comment, I do agree was inappropriate but everybody including the audience was caught up in the moment.
I hope this clears everything up
Teddy Melnick Team 358
|