Divisions 2012

[Alex Golec]

With division posting complete, the Michigan State Champs are split up:

67 - Archimedes
469 - Newton
830 - Curie

Looks like 67 and 469 won't play together again until the post-season.

[JesseK]

Looks like some great potential matchups, pairings, and Finals in all divisions. Awesome.

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

Canada wins.

Only if one or the other seed very high...

[Thad House]

The PNW got split pretty evenly, and looks to all be in some pretty good divisions.

[BJC]

My quick look provides...
Arch:
67 234 359 973 1114 1218 1676 2056
Curie:
51 233 254 341 694 971 987 1477 1986 3089
Galieo:
16 25 33 48 125 148 399 772 1538 1718 1918 2054 2337 3322
Newton:
11 45 111 118 330 340 469 548 610 1023 1717 1983 2122

[Thad House]

At least Galileo doesn't look as stacked as last year...

[LeelandS]

In my opinion, Newton is the division to beat.

111 and 118 bring a lot of competition and Einstein experience. These teams have been through the trials before. They'll be very anxious to make it back, especially with Wildstang looking to defend their championship. 111 is a three time world champion (03,09,11), tying them with HOT for the second most wins. 111 has built another dangerous machine this year, with astounding accuracy. As impressive as ever, 111 looks to add their names to the short list of back-to-back world champions. 118 has had some of the most progression out of all teams this year. Their pre-season video has people clamoring, but their performance at Alamo and Connecticut, although very impressive, left much to be desired. At Lone Star, 118 was noticeably more dominant, with better hybrid and shooting than we'd seen from them before. With a win to cap off their regional reason, will 118, one of Texas' proud and most legendary teams, be able to continue to heat up the field even more? Endeavor will definitely live up to it's legendary name.

45 and 191 are two of the original teams. Both teams experienced some great success this season, and though 191 hasn't been able to grab the gold on Einstein in the past, they've seen it all in 21 years. After being the first pick at Finger Lakes and winning it all, they have an idea of what they'll have to do to be a competitive force on Newton. 45, a former world champion, will also bring the heat on Newton. They won at Queen City, they'll look to carry that success over at champs. If the X-Cats and TechnoKats can pick their shots carefully, they will both be forces to reckon with.

365 and 1640 were huge in the MAR District. MOE has built a great machine, and if they can improve on where they were at MAR Champs, they'll turn some heads. 1640 has had a lot of opportunities to learn this season: Twice have they teams with 341. Once to win a district event, once to win the whole MAR Championship. 1640 isn't the strongest robot around on their own, but they have had a lot of experience winning this season, and even without Daisy at their backs, they'll be able to carry that in to Newton.

548 and 469 competed against each other in the finals at MSC. That alone gives these teams huge credentials. 548 is being regarded as one of the best fender bots in the world right now, but their accuracy from the key can't be questioned either. Whether it's up close or from afar, 548 can put balls in baskets very well. 469 has had an amazing season so far, racking up wins at Detroit, Troy and Waterford, and capping it all off with state championship. At MSC, 469 became the only team whose Teleop Points exceeded 400, and their shooting reflects it. 469 just missed Einstein last year, after were Championship finalists in 2010. 469 knows how to win. They can do it. And with the right partners, they may just succeed.

On the topic of Michigan, 1023 had a great few days at MSC. Winners at Detroit and Livonia, 1023 has been a force to be reckoned with all season. A very strong teleop and hybrid scorer, The Bedford Express adds another strong name to the list of great Michigan teams to Newton. 1023 will make a great addition to any alliance that's lucky enough to snag them (that is, unless they're making the alliance themselves).

330 and 1717 bring a strong west-coast presence to Newton this year. After winning Central Valley, where they both looked exceptionally strong, both of these teams are strong contenders. 330 is one of the most legendary California teams of all time (perhaps only behind 254). They've earned it. World Champs in 2005 and an Einstein appearance in 2007 means 330 can succeed on the big field. 1717 has yet to make it to Einstein. Several division final finishes, but never to the big stage. After dominating at CVR, my money is on 1717 to make it to Einstein. Their swerve is of legend, and their shooting this year makes me go out on a limb and say 1717 has the best programming in FIRST right now. If 1717 can get their hands on the balls, they are going in. If they can find a partner to feed them well, 1717 may break records.

610 should be no stranger to a lot of people this season. They were surrounded by controversy earlier this year, but you can't deny that 610 has a great robot. They found some success in Canada this year, but took Arizona by storm, winning the event. 610 consistently build great robots, and almost made it to Einstein last year with 469. They may not be the most famous or dominant on Newton, but 610 can play smart, and will do just that.

1241 and 340 both competed at Buckeye. 1241 has competed prior at GTR East and West, winning a few awards and both, and qualifying for champs with a chairman's win at West. They haven't found as much success in competition as I thought they would, but 1241 has a solid robot, and if they can improve for championships, they'll be a solid force in qualifications and eliminations. 340 is a special team this year. They are triple qualified for championships, with a Chairman's Win at Finger Lakes (making it their 5th in a row, I believe), and with a win and Engineering Inspiration award at Buckeye. They're a dumper bot, but don't count them out. They're an almost guaranteed 10 points in autonomous, and a great teleop player. "Add Team 340 to #TeamStinger" and you've got a very dangerous player. Don't underestimate this fender bot.

Sorry for the long post. I was feeling rather Looking Forward-ish. And sorry if I missed anyone. These were just the teams that stuck out to me. I'm also sorry if I happened to have gotten any facts wrong. I'm definitely NOT Looking Forward, so my info may be faulty. Apologies in advance.

Newton looks REALLY tough.

[PayneTrain]

I guess one thing I can see hindering Archimedes over Newton is the sheer number of long bots that will make triple balancing difficult. I can't see three long robots pulling it off, and I think it will be necessary by the time you get to the semis.

Is that crazy?

[Bill Beatty]

I see the Championship is at 398 teams. Unless I am missing something, FIRST could raise it to 408 (102 per division) and not cause any additional qualifying matches. This would allow 10 additional teams to compete with no penalty to schedule.

Mr. Bill

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by Bill Beatty

I see the Championship is at 398 teams. Unless I am missing something, FIRST could raise it to 408 (102 per division) and not cause any additional qualifying matches. This would allow 10 additional teams to compete with no penalty to schedule.

Mr. Bill

I'm not sure I follow.

The 100 team divisions will play 150 matches (100 teams * 9 rounds / 6 teams/round) with no surrogates.

The 99 team divisions will play 149 matches (100 teams * 9 rounds / 6 teams/round) with 3 surrogates.

This suggests that adding two (2) teams, total, would result in every division playing 150 qualifying rounds to meet the stated goal of 9 rounds for each team. Adding any more would add additional qualifying matches.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Jared341

I'm not sure I follow.

The 100 team divisions will play 150 matches (100 teams * 9 rounds / 6 teams/round) with no surrogates.

The 99 team divisions will play 149 matches (100 teams * 9 rounds / 6 teams/round) with 3 surrogates.

This suggests that adding two (2) teams, total, would result in every division playing 150 qualifying rounds to meet the stated goal of 9 rounds for each team. Adding any more would add additional qualifying matches.

Actually adding 2 teams to each division to make each have 102(2 divisions right now have 99 and 2 have 100) would give a total of 153 matches per division. Giving each match a 6 minute cycle(load-in, match, load-out) would take just over 15 hours, which would be cutting it real close on keeping it within the 3 day timeframe.

[snowmobiler9]

I don't know how prevalent this is for other teams, but 706 has fixed its shooting issues discovered at the WI regional. We now will actually be able to score a considerable amount of baskets compared to only 1 tele-op point all of the regional. If other teams in the mid to low end spectrum of OPR's have done the same, then divisions should be even more competitive than on paper. We expect our OPR of 9.4 to at least double. Has this trend been seen in the past or are we a singularity. Also who else knows of a team doing the same thing?

In regards to the triple balance post above, 706 has triple balance with ease on the practice field. I don't know if that counts though. =D (Curie)

[Madison]

Originally Posted by snowmobiler9

I don't know how prevalent this is for other teams, but 706 has fixed its shooting issues discovered at the WI regional. We know will actually be able to score a considerable amount of baskets compared to only 1 tele-op point all of the regional. If other teams in the mid to low end spectrum of OPR's have done the same, then divisions should be even more competitive than on paper. We expect our OPR of 9.4 to at least double. Has this trend been seen in the past or are we a singularity. Also who else knows of a team doing the same thing?

We've knocked our reload time down by about half.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by dodar

Actually adding 2 teams to each division to make each have 102(2 divisions right now have 99 and 2 have 100) would give a total of 153 matches per division. Giving each match a 6 minute cycle(load-in, match, load-out) would take just over 15 hours, which would be cutting it real close on keeping it within the 3 day timeframe.

The FRC qualifying match schedule includes 5 hours Thursday afternoon, 1.5 hours Thursday evening, 2.5 hours Friday morning, 5 hours Friday afternoon, and 2.25 hours Saturday morning. Total of 16.25 hours.

6 minute match cycle time has proved an easy target for field crews to hit this year, because real-time scoring has worked very well. At several events I have seen the field run ahead of schedule by more than ten minutes, sometimes by twenty minutes. I think the MSC crew got ahead by half an hour at one point -- right before Dean spoke.

[Deetman]

Originally Posted by Richard

The FRC qualifying match schedule includes 5 hours Thursday afternoon, 1.5 hours Thursday evening, 2.5 hours Friday morning, 5 hours Friday afternoon, and 2.25 hours Saturday morning. Total of 16.25 hours.

6 minute match cycle time has proved an easy target for field crews to hit this year, because real-time scoring has worked very well. At several events I have seen the field run ahead of schedule by more than ten minutes, sometimes by twenty minutes. I think the MSC crew got ahead by half an hour at one point -- right before Dean spoke.

MAR was much the same. It seemed like every event was ahead of schedule at times. Chestnut Hill even had an hour long field issue and ended up finishing the day more or less on schedule.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Richard

The FRC qualifying match schedule includes 5 hours Thursday afternoon, 1.5 hours Thursday evening, 2.5 hours Friday morning, 5 hours Friday afternoon, and 2.25 hours Saturday morning. Total of 16.25 hours.

6 minute match cycle time has proved an easy target for field crews to hit this year, because real-time scoring has worked very well. At several events I have seen the field run ahead of schedule by more than ten minutes, sometimes by twenty minutes. I think the MSC crew got ahead by half an hour at one point -- right before Dean spoke.

I'll be shocked if any division falls as far behind this year as they did last year. Last year we had to scramble to get the right tubes to the right places, but this year the only thing that should really keep the field crew delayed is waiting for the drivers to take (or decline) the balls for their robot.