I have posted photos from the Vancouver Island VEX Championships
here.
It was a great weekend, and special congraulations should go to the organizers and volunteers who made this first-time event an outstanding success. There were lots of new teams from Vancouver Island, including hosts Lake Trail, who made it all the way to the semi-finals.
It was probably the closest competition that I have seen in six years of robotics competition. The top six teams after qualifying had identical 5-1 records and were separated by just 60 ranking points. This was reflected in the elmination rounds, with more than one "upset" of the higher ranked alliance and many rounds going the full three matches.
In the end, however, experience paid off as it came down to an all David Thompson alliance versus an all Gladstone alliance. Although these two schools are just minutes away by transit, and have been competing with the VEX platform for three years now, it was the first time that they had met head-to-head in this way. It took three matches, and even then it was close, but 1346a and 1346d, captained by 1346b came home with the Championship, while Gladstone teams picked up the judges awards (which went to former FTC Championship Quarter-finalists Vexagon and TBA) and excellence award.
The DT teams were pretty happy on the way back home (even though we ended up giving up an evening of build on "the big robot") and the Gladstone teams were no doubt looking forward to competing on home turf as Gladstone Secondary plays host to the next BC VEX tournament in February.
Well done all, and thank you again to the organizers and hosts,
Jason