2013 Bridgewater-Raritan Thank You!

[mdituri]

Thank you to Team 1676 for having the confidence to accept our invitation as alliance partners this weekend and for their 31 1/2 link chain for our ever challenging drive train. Since my first season in 2006, I have always been impressed by the Pascack Pi-oneers. This is really the 2nd year of growth for the Mechanical Mustangs and we have always looked to your team as a model of inspiration. My students look over at your pit and go, "how can we build a team like Pascack".
Thanks to 714, Panthera, for being our amazing alliance partners. We are sending lots of love to your team and are so proud we were able to be your partners at Mt. Olive for your mentor's last matches. (I am terrible with names, I believe his name was Sylvester, but I remember his long ponytail and immediately thought of Panthera everytime I saw him...team shirt or not). The most memorable moment of the day was when my scout captain turned to us in the stands and signed "7..1..4" and I thought, "how blessed we are to have been able to align with them again; maybe 2nd times a charm".

I want to thank all of our alliance partners throughout the elimination matches for helping us achieve a record of 11:1. No one can win on their own, and your combined efforts helped our team achieve their first place status and their first blue banner. We can't wait to see all of you at the MAR Region Championship.

[PiKman]

We want to thank The Mechanical Mustangs for thinking so highly of 1676 to choose us from your #1 seed position. I reminded you after our win that the Pi-oneers helped the Mustangs in their first pre-rookie event by loaning you a robot for Brunswick Eruption '09. I was very happy that we could be part of your alliance for the Mechanical Mustangs' first blue banner.

Also hats off to team 714. You have no idea how much we were hoping that you would still be there for our alliance's last pick so we could join with your fantastic team and reconstitute our alliance from Mt. Olive. You guys are great partners, and I'm also happy that we were able to win this one for Mr. Sylvester, who I got to know on the floor during Mt. Olive eliminations. Our alliance really jelled, and the strategy was well executed.

Congratulations to the other finalists, 2607, 193, and 4361. Three great robots, and your alliance also worked so well together. I have great admiration for MORT Beta, your students and your mentors. You have achieved so much in your first year, it's an inspiration.

From MORT Beta, let me shift to Team 11. Congratulations on your well-deserved Chairman's award. You are our model for a complete team. We respect and admire how you can be so strong in all areas, and are awed at how well the Beta concept worked in its first year. Every year you impress us more.

[Hallry]

Along with what Mr. Killian said above, we'd like to give a huge congratulations to Team 75 for winning EI! You absolutely deserved it, and we continue to look up to your team as a source of inspiration. After we had to play you in the quarter-finals, one of your mentors said to me that although you were packing up, if there was anything at all that we needed, we should go to you and you'd help us out. Knowing you were there for us like that just warmed my heart. We can't thank and congratulate you enough, and we look forward to playing with you again in a few days. It is an honor for us to qualify for EI along with such an amazing team as you.

Also, all of the matches from Saturday are now up on our Youtube Channel, and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...qVyQzSWZoiaBrK. The matches from Sunday will be uploaded tonight. Also, be sure to watch out for some unique footage that we're working on involving 2 GoPros (that's right, 2!) and a microphone .

[Hallry]

All of the match videos, as well as footage of alliance selection and the award ceremony, are now up on our Youtube channel, found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...qVyQzSWZoiaBrK.

I'd also like to congratulate our collaboration partners 223 for qualifying for Lehigh! Can't wait to see you guys there!