[ThirdRide]

The 11/1403 match was one of my favorites. But there was another great match that both 1403 and my team (449) were involved in.

Match number 44 at the Chesapeake Regional: 449 and 225 vs. 1403 and 293

Before this match, 449 was having problems with its chin-up. We could pull ourselves up, but the window motor we used was backdriving. The braking system we built to stop the robot from falling was not working. (Later, we learned that there is a set screw on the window motor that, if tightened, prevents it from backdriving.) Anyway, during the match, both sides did their own thing. 1403, with its giant basket, caught the balls as the fell and delivered them to the human players, who were shooting like mad. 225 and 449 spent some time herding before they both went for the chin-up. 225 pulled itself up first and it did it easily. 449 pulled itself up second, just before time ran out. When the buzzer sounded, 449 began to slowly drift towards the ground, like it had in its previous two matches. But just before it hit the ground, 449 caught on 225. 225 was holding up 449! The refs ruled that both robots were hanging. The final score: 125-120 for 225 and 449. It was quite a match.

Team 1403 was pissed. I know becasue we were their partners in match 48. We won that too, and the rest is history.