New York City was nothing but problems for The Robo Wizards, probably the worst experience we have ever encountered since our inception in 2001. The high spots (or patches) on the sides of the center median on the playing field were substantially higher than the other 2 regionals we attended, Pittsburgh and Long Island and it was killing us. The high spots were bending our front pneumatic piston with its ball transfer system which allowed our treaded robot to lift itself at the front and pivot from the rear drive wheels, allowing us to turn. We tried to work around it and we made some drastic changes to our drivetrain in an attempt to surpass the obstacles on the field, and it did not work as well as we anticipated. This was also our first regional in which we were not picked to play in the elimination rounds. Overall the New York City Regional was a fun event.
