2012 Palmetto Regional

[Billfred]

Every year, I think I've had the wildest competition ride one can have in FRC.

Once again, fate proves me way, way, way wrong.

The last time "my team" was not playing in Palmetto eliminations was 2006, my last year on 1293. That year, 1293 was the first or second backup team, and a lack of readiness on our part cost us our spot in the show. I thought we were a shoo-in for eliminations, yet the draft wasn't kind to us (not even our traditional last-pick stronghold) and we wound up the first backup team. (Backups weren't kind to us before either; we sat on the dome floor a long time in Atlanta as the #2 backup on Curie our rookie year.)

So we sat. And waited. And, as any team in our position would, hoped the slightly-wicked hope that opportunity would come knocking.

I thought the eight-year-long Palmetto Champions' Curse was going to make it to year nine--no team had ever won it back-to-back before, and it certainly doesn't look good when the only champion that returned is sitting in their pit waiting on the call.

As quarterfinals finished I was in spectator mode, watching matches and checking my phone during a timeout when one of our kids says "Hey, we're out there!" Sure enough, our drive team was carrying the robot onto the field...and we were probably celebrating our good fortune a bit too much in the stands. Match begins, and we don't move. (Turns out it was the ground terminal going to the power distribution board getting loose, the first time all year that's bitten us.) We drop the first one, and yet our group gets a little louder.

After we got ourselves into that hole, things started clicking and this unlikely pairing fires off four straight wins, punching four tickets to St. Louis and making me wonder if my voice will be fully recovered this week. I still can't believe it.

This is a long way of saying THANK YOU 2640, 2059, and 281. Backup teams are the shotgun weddings of FRC, and I'm glad we could help close the deal with you guys. (Additional tips of the hat individually to 2640 and 2059, who had never won any FRC award until this event, and to 281, who received their first regional title since Peachtree 2005. Icing on the cake when you snag Chairman's...)

Also congrats to Hank Bennett, quite possibly the only person around who won both Volunteer of the Year and the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award at the same regional in the same day. With a combo like that, you know he's doing great things in Charleston.

Particular recognition to the DJ, who killed it for two straight days. If someone's got his info, I'd love to poach him for SCRIW...

Thank you to all our online fans. All the tweets and Likes really mean a lot.

Thank you to 343 for loaning us an AM Planetary on Thursday. (I think you guys left before we could return it--we'll reunite you with it, promise.)

And, of course, thank you to The Citadel for a great team social and a really smooth-running event!

Now we just need to find about $5,000 in our couch cushions...