GTR Thanks and Congrats

[Pat Fairbank]

Originally Posted by Karthik

Team 1503 winning their second regional of the season. Last year was a bit of a disaster for 1503. They'd be the first to admit they ended up with an over complicated robot that didn't perform up to their standards. But this year, they went back to basics with a renewed emphasis on simplicity and robustness. The result? 32 consecutive matches where they scored an ubertube in autonomous mode and two regional wins. To everyone who said "you have to have a floor pickup to win", their robot is the proof that you were blatantly wrong. Thanks to 1503 for serving as a nice reminder that simplicity and knowing your own resources are the key to being successful in FRC.

I have to chime in and offer some thanks of my own back to Karthik and 1114.

After our disappointing performance last year, I talked to Karthik and other Simbots during the off-season and asked them for robot design advice. They graciously invited me into their workshop (after I bribed them with baked goods) several times during build season, and acted as a sounding board for 1503's ideas. They prevented us from making at least one major mistake (sacrificing high-row scoring in favour of ground pickup) and provided many helpful tips on component sourcing and minibot design.

So to the Simbots, thanks for your continued mentorship and for having enough faith in us to pick us twice this year, and congratulations on #17! I know Steve would be proud.