2012 - Livonia District

[Joe J.]

Lightning Robotics is excited and ready for Livonia! Should be a great event!

[jyh947]

Wow! That was a great event!

I have to thank a few teams: 1023, 2620, 123, 1025, 862 and 4390.

To team 1023: I've kept my eye on your team since week one, visiting your website, hoping to get a glimpse of what I expected to a great robot. You proved me right at Detroit by going undefeated. We were honored to select you and I was personally very intimidated by your robot. Thanks for working with us. You were the clear first choice for our team.

To team 2620: I don't know how you weren't selected earlier in the draft. There was no doubt in my mind that your team would be a valuable asset to our alliance. Our alliance's autonomous period was one to be reckoned with due to how well they worked together. It was the 12 points that you scored during autonomous in Finals match 1-3 that made us win. Thanks!

To team 123: A wonderful shooting robot that well deserved the place you got. But there's to your alliance than the results of the finals matches. On behalf of team 3322, we thank you for taking a timeout after the second finals match to allow our team to make some adjustments. Your team represents gracious professionalism in the most pure form. Thank you for your generosity. You clearly prove that your team is Chairman's Award material.

To team 862: It's great to see you in the finals again. I talked to one of your members about meeting in the finals during lunch and your alliance did just that. You guys are a force to be reckoned with your dead on fender capabilities. It was great to see you on the field again.

To team 1025: Your defense was very strong and if gave my team a scare at how well you played defense. Your robot is very unique and provided a great feeder to your alliance.

Finally, to team 4390: You were the only rookie at Livonia, but you were clearly worth the Rookie All-Star title. I have to mention your team as a deciding factor with making our team the #1 seed. Balancing the coopertition bridge at the very last second changed the mood of our team. We thank you for joining us at the bridge!

[Aiyash]

Originally Posted by jyh947

To team 123: A wonderful shooting robot that well deserved the place you got. But there's to your alliance than the results of the finals matches. On behalf of team 3322, we thank you for taking a timeout after the second finals match to allow our team to make some adjustments. Your team represents gracious professionalism in the most pure form. Thank you for your generosity. You clearly prove that your team is Chairman's Award material.

Thank you very much! We always try to keep GP at the top of our list, even if it means not winning a competition. Congratulations on your well deserved victory! If anything, thank our alliance captain, Team 1025.

Hopefully, the judges see us as a Chairman's Award team at States

[Aiyash]

This event was spectacular. Thank you Team 2832 and Churchill High School for putting together another successful event!

I'd like to thank our wonderful alliance captain, Team 1025 for picking us. We were an excellent group! Also, I'd like to thank Team 862 for joining us, I was shocked you were still in the pool of teams available, considering how well you play! You helped us complete a nearly unstoppable alliance! Thank you.

Team 4390, you inspired us. We are extremely glad we could help you guys out throughout the competition. You really were All-Stars (#5 Alliance Captain, sweet!).

Team 1023, thank you for your help and inspiration. After talking to Debbie and Hannah, I am extremely confident for Chairman's at States. You were a big help. I look forward to seeing you at States. Also, you were fun to play with on the field. See you at States!

Team 2224, you guys are awesome! Big thanks for helping our mentor take down our pits while we were still getting off the field. That really meant a lot to us.

1025 and 862, it was a ride! We had lots of fun on the field, in the stands, and behind the driver's station with you. We worked very well together and our strategy sessions were awesome. It's time for the MSC! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

3322, thank you for calling a timeout when you noticed that a piece of our alliance member's chain fell off. That was extremely kind and gracious. You and your alliance played one helluva game.

Congratulations to the #1 alliance for winning the Livonia District. Well deserved. TORC, congrats winning Chairman's, and RUSH, congrats for winning Engineering Inspiration.

On behalf of Team 123, I'd like to say this: It's time to shoot for the stars at the State Championship! Michigan, let's make history!

[Nikkocharger]

@Debbie

I would like to personally thank-you. We went by your outline about choosing alliance partners and decided to make sure our robot could do most of the things you said. We then went out to the pits and tried to sell our selfs to the top teams telling them how we planned on triple balancing and our amount of torque and what not. But anyway I think that is what caused us to get picked by team 240 for the elimination rounds even though we came in 28th place.

Speaking of team 240, thank-you team 240 it was a pleasure playing with you guys and 3414

[Debbie]

Originally Posted by Aiyash

Hopefully, the judges see us as a Chairman's Award team at States

Good Luck at states! Just go in and do your thing! Keep reaching for those stars!

Originally Posted by Aiyash

Team 1023, thank you for your help and inspiration. After talking to Debbie and Hannah, I am extremely confident for Chairman's at States. You were a big help. I look forward to seeing you at States. Also, you were fun to play with on the field. See you at States!

Glad we could help! We'll be cheering for you!

[moogboy]

Lots of thanks and love to 2619 and 815 for being the best partners 1701 could have possibly asked for in Eliminations! We gave 'em hell!

2619-Y'all were a great team, all very nice people who were willing to try everything and nail that triple balance! I was glad to have been a part of an alliance with you, no matter what the outcome was.

815-Our fellow meccanum drivetrain robot! You guys have a great team and your robot had a really interesting design. Also proof that great minds think alike:We both thought that we would be good alliance partners with our omnidirectional drive trains! That was a great moment when we all got out there and started working on that.

Congratulations to 1023, 3322, and 2620! You did a great job all weekend.

1023-I am consistently stunned by what your robot pulls off in a match. It truly is a sight to see what it can do. My only wish is that we could have done more with you in qualifications so I could maybe snag a little bit of that magic from you!

3322-From Kettering all the way through Livonia, I have really liked your team. Your robot did some absolutely incredible things out on the field and your drive team has the best uniform out there. Most of my comments about your team I made to John and Abby yesterday during the later Elmination rounds.

2620-As I walked through the pits all weekend getting strategies together with my qualifications alliance partners, I always hoped I would get to do something with you guys. You gave a great impression at Wayne and performed very well. Thanks for giving us a good run!

I hope to see you all again very soon and good luck in whatever you do!

[BX MARK]

Coming into this week, Livonia was largely considered the “weaker” district going on in Michigan this week. Yet the competition was still, nonetheless, outstanding. MSC is going to be nothing less than amazing as always!

[Joe J.]

862 had a BLAST at the Livonia District! This was an incredibly well run event.

Team 1025: thank you very much for selecting us and giving us a chance to compete in the eliminations. You guys played some amazing defense in the eliminations and were a great partner to balance with.

Team 123: You guys have a great robot and an excellent feel for the strategy of this game. Your last second balance with IMPI in the quarters while we were caught in a pushing match with 247 was a brilliant play.

Congratulations to 3322, 1023, and 2620 those were a great set of finals matches. You were a very intimidating alliance to face in the finals. You were a class act lending IMPI a fuse before the last finals match!

Congratulations to 2137 winning Chairman's Award keep up the great work!

Thank you to all the volunteers for helping making this event run so smoothly.

[Aiyash]

Originally Posted by Joe J.

Team 123: You guys have a great robot and an excellent feel for the strategy of this game. Your last second balance with IMPI in the quarters while we were caught in a pushing match with 247 was a brilliant play.

Thank you! Our students and mentors worked extremely hard and we're very proud of our robot. We always try to make the best of our strategies, and we're glad we had an alliance like we did.

See you at States. You have an awesome fender bot!

[VexisDarksteele]

From all of us Flying Toasters, I would like to thank all of the teams at Livonia for making this one awesome event!

Team 2832 — thanks for hosting FIRST again this year. We attended your event last year and enjoyed it so much that we wanted to come back for this year. Everyone on your team and at your school are so friendly and helpful.

Team 862 — I don't think we can thank you guys enough. Your students were incredibly helpful with coaching us in our first ever attempt at Chairman's, and we wouldn't have gotten nearly as far without them. I'm glad that your team is going onto State, because you guys truly deserve it. I've never met another team where everyone is so friendly that it feels like I'm actually a member of it. Also, thank you for your help in scouting, and I hope that our members were good contributors to it. By the way, I love your mascot; Rye, our motorized toaster, proudly wore her two Gigawatts instead of toast on Saturday. Good luck, and I hope we can join you at State next year!

Teams 3322, 1023, and 2620 — You guys made a phenomenal alliance, and I admire the craftsmanship of each of your robots. Congrats, and good luck! (3322, I love how your team was cheering "Carpe Diem" in the stands the whole time. That's an awesome addition to your overall theme. )

[Debbie]

Originally Posted by VexisDarksteele

From all of us Flying Toasters, I would like to thank all of the teams at Livonia for making this one awesome event!

Teams 3322, 1023, and 2620 — You guys made a phenomenal alliance, and I admire the craftsmanship of each of your robots. Congrats, and good luck! (3322, I love how your team was cheering "Carpe Diem" in the stands the whole time. That's an awesome addition to your overall theme. )

Thank you! Your robot was definitely a threat to us! Definitely a great machine! I'm surprised to see you outside the state list, but you are very close! I think you have a lot to be proud of! Your robot is very creative! Your performance was very good! keep up the hard work!

[VexisDarksteele]

Originally Posted by Debbie

Thank you! Your robot was definitely a threat to us! Definitely a great machine! I'm surprised to see you outside the state list, but you are very close! I think you have a lot to be proud of! Your robot is very creative! Your performance was very good! keep up the hard work!

Thanks!
I think the one of the biggest things our team is proud of was the fact that the robot actually wasn't overweight this year, LOL. That was a real shocker last year — 32 pounds too heavy! I swear, the toast diet is what's making these 'bots gain so much... Good thing Patriot has been in bootcamp!

We're definitely looking forward to next year, and hopefully we'll make it next time. We plan to do a lot student training during this off-season and over summer, alongside a bunch of the local teams who reached out to us after Livonia. See you then!

[tr6scott]

TORC 2137 thanks all of the Livonia teams for a great weekend. The season has been especially tough one for us. We graduated 9 seniors last year, and only had 5 students carry over from last year. We lost some of the best mentors in Michigan from the team too. Despite all that, we doubled the team size from 14 to 28. We had huge success fundraising, with support from the school and Kettering with a new robotics lab at school. The team was instrumental in developing BOM on equipment and layouts for the lab. We were honored to receive the NASA grant for established teams that had lost sponsorship. We are ecstatic that though the school, our students can earn college credits while attended class in our lab.

This funding and sponsorship support, along with the team size increases allowed us actually work on other aspects of FIRST, besides building a robot. Last year was the first time TORC submitted animation video. This year was the first time we built a pit, and did Chairman's. We probably would have not done Chairman's if it was not for the judges urging us to do it last year, and the NASA grant required it, and for both, we are very thankful. We have never had the resources; manpower or money to complete the Chairman's requirements *and* build a bot in previous years, this year we did. This was the first year that the team actually completed all machining, and welding on the bot, in our school.

I especially like to thank Bedford for letting us play on their field, and work on the robot bridge balancing last weekend during their unlock. It was a *awesome* experience, like the kids say. I'll personally thank Debbie for sharing some of her insights with me on being a better mentor and helping me though some of the growing pains of this year. BX is the best.

RUSH, always sets the bar so high, and in every way. Although we have not interacted much as teams, you are always the (blue &) gold standard that we are all judged. It was an honor to be selected, and a learning experience on strategy, I will not forget.

3322 - What can you say, you were deadly at Kettering, and have not lost a step since.

So, So many great teams, and designs, I'm not a scout, so don't be a hater, if I miss some, I'm a programming mentor...

Lightning, always a great team.
Speed always high spirit.
Red Tails, way to go with a simple working design. Great engineering.
862 very effective from the fender...

[Debbie]

Originally Posted by VexisDarksteele

Thanks!
I think the one of the biggest things our team is proud of was the fact that the robot actually wasn't overweight this year, LOL.

HAHA I think every team has one of those moments. Ours was 2010, when we got to competition with an illegal motor. None of us had noticed it came off the KoP list that year. We spent most of the first day trying to refine a different motor on that position... We definitely learned a lot that year!

You all have so much more to be proud of than the weight. Your bot was unique and very fun to watch. You were very high scoring, and I am really shocked you won't' be at states. We had our eye on your bot coming into this.

Keep learning, and keep up the great work! If there is ever anything we can do, just let us know!

Originally Posted by tr6scott

I especially like to thank Bedford for letting us play on their field, and work on the robot bridge balancing last weekend during their unlock. It was a *awesome* experience, like the kids say. I'll personally thank Debbie for sharing some of her insights with me on being a better mentor and helping me though some of the growing pains of this year. BX is the best.

TORC has been a favorite of ours since we won with you at Livonia last year! Having you come down during unlock was a lot of fun, and a very good learning experience. Working with you on the triple balance was very helpful and we were definitely worried about you pulling that off in eliminations! i think our bots compliment each other very well. After we finish the season, you all should come down again! Growing pains are a part of growth. (intelligent I know) HaHa .. We all go through them, and you just do the best you can and you know your team will continue and you will grow stronger! Are you all going to MARC? Looking forward to seeing you at states! Good luck with Chairman's! Let us know if we can help in anyway!