Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610- 2013 World Champions!

[Yipyapper]

This is directed at 610, 1241 and 1477.

First of all, I have to commend every robot on the 610/1241/1477 alliance for having incredible robots. 610 is so fast when they were shooting, 1241 improved so much by the time they reached champs—and they were one of the best teams in a powerful year for Canada at the start. 1477's 7-disc autonomous and extra support as a shooter proved incredibly valuable for the alliance.

So we're getting into the alliance selections, and I notice that 1241 picks 610 and 1477 as their teammates. While I knew that would be an impressive combo that could make it far against any of the other alliances, I didn't think they could beat the heavily favoured powerhouse alliance of 1114, 118 and 4039. I'm not alone in thinking that they'd run away with the Galileo win.

When I went over to Einstein to sit down, I noticed that Mr. Lim was walking around. Puzzled, I kept looking around for 1114. Then I saw 610, 1241 and 1477, and I figured "Boy, was I ever wrong".

When you guys had supposedly lost in the 2nd match on Einstein, myself and a couple of other 781ers got a little down at the results. With all due respect for the other alliance, I really wanted Canada to win. When the news was released that they had actually WON the match, the same 781ers and I exploded. I felt really, really good and I wanted to see you guys win.

With your absolutely insane disc scores (around 220 or so was a common trend, it seemed) and consistent 10-10-10 climbing, I figured it would be a very interesting finals. I had actually predicted that 469 and 33 would win it all, considering how powerful they were in Archimedes (I even predicted 469 winning it all with either 254 or 987 from the start). They're both teams I respect to a very high level and I was cheering for them when they weren't playing against 610/1241/1477 (sorry, a little Canadian pride here).

So when it went to 3 matches for the first time in... who knows how long it's been, I found myself cheering more than I had ever cheered before, hoped more than I had ever hoped before (with the possible exception of my team in the 2011 World Finals). More cheering and hoping than I had for us getting picked by a team. Even more than my hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens.

Then you did it all. 610 and 1241—along with 188 and 2056—I believe to be the Canadian teams most deserving of a championship than anyone besides 1114. I am still feeling a buzz from the happiness I felt at your win.

This whole wildcard system is going to be amazing for this kind of thing happening in the future. While you both made it for other reasons, I believe this will open up a lot more appearances at Champs for teams like you guys, 1310 (who was absolutely amazing, I loved watching them in every match) and 188 (fingers crossed!). Not only that, but you've proven that the abilities of the elite tier just below 1114 and 2056 can accomplish so much—enough that regionals won't be completely dominated by those two anymore.

610 and 1241, congratulations on being the first ever multi-Canadian alliance to win Champs, congrats to winning your first championships and congrats to being the 3rd and 4th Canadians to win.

[Chaotic1421]

Congratulations to all the winners of this year's 2013 Championship: 1241, 1477, and 610. It was great watching you play!

1421 Team Chaos wants to give a big SHOUT OUT to 1477 Texas Torque!!! We are so EXCITED for you guys!!!!!

[Boe]

congrats 610, 1241 and 1477. Its good to know that when we lost in the Galileo finals we lost to the world champs

[Donut]

Congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610 on their World Championship victory. It's been a long time since I've seen them in person but both 610 and 1241 were awesome teams to meet when they have come down to the Arizona regional in the past. Canada is becoming very powerful in FRC and hopefully this win can make everyone in the states know that it goes beyond the members of last year's Eh team. I don't know 1477 as well but I hear their name often enough to know they are doing some stuff right down in Texas.

So when is the Canada district happening? MSC could get a run for its money soon.

[ErikEdhlund]

Congratulation to 1241,1477, And 610. You were a great alliance and I am at least gave the World Champs a run in our division. Also thank you for proving that my prediction of the type of alliance that would win it all was correct.

[Walter Deitzler]

All I can say is:
This alliance up against an FCS? Simply outscore them! This alliance against two FCS's and a floor sweeper to pick up missed shots? Win anyways.

Congrats guys, you were awesome.

[Wendy Holladay]

Mazel Tov! to 610, 1241, and especially 1477 our Bayou friends.

[lrgros]

Congratulations to 2013 Einstein winners especially to Texas Torque Team 1477. You have a super team and produced a super championship robot. We enjoyed playing with you at Lonestar and Alamo and look forward to joining up with you in the future.

[Grim Tuesday]

I feel like this was a true alliance of underdogs and the out shadowed.

In Ontario, 1114 and 2056 outshadow 610 and 1241. In Texas, 118 and 148 outshadow 1477. Most performance metrics dictated that 1114/118 should have won. Then 33/469 should have. But this alliance managed to pull out an amazing and well deserved win with teamwork. Congrats guys!

[cziggy343]

First of all, the Einstein matches were fantastic. For every team that made it there, congratulations. I was on the floor and got to watch bits and pieces of every division's eliminations, and while some were surprising to me, you could tell how much each of those four alliances gelled together by the time they made it to Einstein.

Now, congratulations to 1241, 1477, and 610. Even after all the hullabaloo about full-court shooters, 50 point dumpers, and 30 point climbers, the alliance that won it all showed us that 2 exclusive feeders, 1 floor pick up, 3 10 point climbers, and a lot of heart and execution were all that was necessary to win. Wasn't the "flashiest" way to play, if you will, but it was a thing of beauty to watch this game the way it was played in the finals.

After watching a whole lot of robotics from my house this year, I saw all three of these teams, and the improvements, especially from 1477 and 1241, that they made throughout the year. In a season where 118 and 148 were strong in Texas, and 1114 and 2056 (and IMO 610 was just as good) in Canada, then it was tough for 1477 and 1241 to get the praise they deserved. Well done it earning it.

I watched the Galileo alliance selection play out for most of it, and I was STUNNED to see that 610 fell that far down the selection process. Granted, I didn't get to see them at all before Saturday afternoon, but this was a team that would have been dominate everywhere else except a world where both 2056 and 1114 would tag-team you... I knew that whoever was lucky enough to snag them in the second round would have a great chance of knocking off 118 and 1114.

Great job once again! I was so fun to watch!

[philso]

Congratulations to 1477, 610 and 1241!

It was an incredible thrill to finish our FLL tournament activities and find four Canadian teams and two Houston teams engaged in three of the most intense matches I have ever seen, the Galileo Semi's. As Canadians living in Houston, our loyalties were torn and we cheered for both sides till we were hoarse. It was so amazing to see you all work together in the Einstein Finals to outscore two FCS' with your speed and precision shooting. Kudos to your engineers for creating such precise and efficient scoring machines and kudos to your drivers for employing them so effectively. We are sorry that our other commitments kept us from seeing more of your matches.

1241
It was a pleasure to meet Amanda and Florence in our pit area. You are doing fantastic things that will make all the teams in TO stronger in the coming years. Considering the uniformly high level of play I saw on the webcasts from the Toronto area Regionals, that is a frightening thought. It was an even greater pleasure to later finding your team climbing up through the Galileo Eliminations an on to Einstein.

610
We met your team members in your pits last year and they graciously answered all our questions about their robot and how they designed it. We have always admired the elegance and efficiency of your robots. Your team members all had a look in their eyes that told us they did not just want to succeed, they needed to succeed. It does not surprise us that you are now World Champions.

1477
Your team has always worked hard to improve and you all deserved to be rewarded for your hard work. We could also see the need and determination to succeed in your eyes. It was such a thrill to see your team fight to overcome adversity over and over again in the last few days. Those struggles must have given you the momentum to propel you to the top. Thanks also for so graciously sharing your bus with us. It was an honour to be able to hang out with your team (win or lose). It was also fun to think that each of our teams had defeated past World Champions that day. I wish I took a picture of Scott curled up in the front seat with the trophy.

We trust that your hard work dedication and passion for excellence will lead you all to victory again.

Phil So
Bud-Botics, FLL Team 7372

[PayneTrain]

Congrats to these Galileo champs for being awesome teams that finally got their skill and lady luck to work together in a winning combination (and thanks for asserting my predictions that Galileo would win vs. Archimedes in 3 and not have a dedicated full-court shooter when they won).

[AllenGregoryIV]

I had 14 hours to congratulate 1477 on the bus ride back to Houston but that still wasn't enough. I have seen Texas Torque develop over the years from the Northside Roboteers and their 1st Regional Win in 2008 into one of the peranial Texas powerhouses (and lately World Powerhouse). Torque is a model team for everyone in FRC to look up to. They have been doing it right for many years now and their hard work has paid off more than ever.

They had what can only be described as a rollercoaster of a season and it ended on the highest of peaks. Three events without even a finalist appearance, last minute champs qualification at their 4th regional in Week 6 (undefeated at Razorback). They then completely changed their shooter for championship moving away from a 3 wheeled banebot shooter to a two wheel shooter design with new wheels. This and a few programming issues led to several issues that they had to work through on Thursday and Friday before they were ready for eliminations on Saturday. 1477 hit all 7 discs in auton maybe once or twice this season before putting the robot down on Einstein; they hit them all several times when they needed every disc. Had you told anyone on Torque at the beginning of the year that their lift would be the reason they could defend 469 in the finals on Einstein they would have thought you were crazy.

1241 put together the best (obviously) lower seed alliance at the event. 610, 1477 and themselves were dynamic in every sense of the word. They had several tricks they didn't ever need but could have used. Mid-line auto, and full court shooting come to mind.

I was on the Galileo field as an inspector and marveled at this alliance's play. Every time it looked like the #5 alliance was going to go down they fought their way back and prevailed. It is the most impressive Championship run I have ever seen. All but one of their rounds had to go to a rubber match (They set the record for most eliminations matches played on the way to the title at least since 2002). Not only did they go to 3 rounds they lost the first match in everyone except for the division final. That means they played an unbelievable 8 win or go home matches. How they managed to deal with the stress is remarkable especially after being told they lost the event and then getting to keep playing.

Congratulations to the new WORLD CHAMPIONS 1241 THEORY6, 610 The Coyotes and 1477 Texas Torque. 1477 is now the highest numbered team to ever win the championship.

[Mr. Lim]

Thanks everyone for your incredibly kind and gracious words.

Words cannot express how I'm feeling right now, because this is something I've never felt before in my life. I am happy and grateful for so many things at once, that it all is such a blur. I simply can't sort it all out, and may not be able to for quite some time.

What I can say for sure is that I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have worked with everyone on the winning alliance. I've had amazing alliance experiences in the past, but I don't think I've ever quite felt like all 3 drive teams were operating as one large drive team as we did yesterday - all with the same philosophy, determination, and ability to share, communicate, read and react two and three steps ahead. I wanted to give a special mention to Thuvishan R, the drive coach for 1241 who drove the co-ordination process between all 3 teams. He is a special young mentor who is now a World Champion drive coach, and has the medals and scars to prove it . I personally attribute a large amount of our alliance's success to him, his ability to plan, deliver and execute a "simple" strategy, ensuring all the "little details" were explicitly laid out - i.e. switching at the feeder and pyramid for all 3 robots. I wish all of FRC could have seen our strategy sessions, and pre-match huddles. They were special, and something I will remember for the rest of my life. I learned a lot from Thuvishan.

If you had told me we'd have a legitimate shot at the World Championship on late Saturday morning, you'd have promptly been met with this expression: I am forever the optimist, but things were pretty grim for 610 at one point. Obviously things worked out (VERY) well for us in the end, but it certainly was a whirlwind tournament for us!

I'd love to recount a coherent story of our 2013 CMP one day, but until then here are some random thoughts:

"This one's for you 188! None of us would be here without you. To me, you represent what FRC is all about. You're next."

"Mark Breadner and family - you made this happen. Thank you for everything."

"This one's also for the Ontario underdogs 188, 1310, 1334, 772, 3161, 2702, 3683, 2809, 4814, 4039, 1503, 1547, 4069, 2852, 781, 1305 and more. We live in an incredible region for FRC, and we're still getting better. Scary thought."

"Mid first-round pick? No? Late first-round? No? Err... second round pick? Disappointing, but ironically the second best thing to happen to us this weekend!"

"If there's any team who can understand what kind of teams 1241 and 610 are and our experience playing in Ontario, it's 1477..."

"You can tell these 1477 guys have competed in 4 regionals. They've seen everything. Nothing phases them."

"None of us have anything to lose."

"1114 and 2056. Woodie Flowers said it best: Compete like hell on the field, help each other off of it. Thank you both greatly for the blocker materials, and for the Einstein scouting assistance. No doubt, I expect us to still try and crush each other on the field in the future, but healthy rivalries have pushed us all to be better. Here's to this one! Team Canada Robotics forever..."

"Did that girl just tell Lang (our operator) that he was hot, high-fived him, then walked away?"

"Lang? Hello?"

"Galileo Match 109: Deadly tall FCS opponent, a robot that does everything else, and a defender/linebacker. So who's up for playing some defense with an 84" blocker? 1114, 111 or 610? Well, any of us COULD do it... but who'd look good doing it?"

"I genuinely thought the flowers were too pretty to be shot at, and hoped they would survive the match. The hot pink boas, I could've done without"

"Wow that match was still pretty close..."

"The teams from Arizona, are some of the nicest in FIRST. 842, 1726, 1011, 2486. Some of my favourite teams to bump into."

"How is one supposed to react when you walk into your pits, and it is decorated with flowers and hot pink boas? And strangely, over night, your all-boys school has somehow managed to recruit a brand-new all-girl pit crew, who are all wearing team + school attire. Thanks SWAT 771, easily one of the most memorable moments of Champs for us!"

"There are a lot more ground pick-ups on Galileo than I originally thought."

"Everyone is terrified of the FCS. Tall FCS + linebacker + ground pick-up is the strategy du jour, and we are none of the above. "

"Okay... I've spoken to 4 teams, and none want to pick us. Should I be worried?... yes."

"No one wants a cycler. Not even a pretty darned good one."

"Mr. Lim, a team dropped by our pit after match 109. They said they just added us to their pick list because they were really impressed by our blocking ability. If they need a blocker for elims, they might consider picking us."

"Me at the time: ...great... didn't we score 112 points by ourselves at BAE? Are we really doing that badly? Maybe we need a bigger FRC Top 25 (Ranked #10) sticker."

"Me just before the 20th pick during alliance selection: HEY 1241, WE HAVE A FREAKIN' SWEET BLOCKER!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE PICK US!!!1!!!one!!!!111!!!eleven!!!"

"Okay, now what do we do with 2 cyclers and a ground pick-up?"

"JNo: you know, there's only really 12 cycles of discs in your stations. That's 4 per robot. Even under defense it's really not that hard to cycle all the discs, and not miss any. Think about efficiency, vs the missed discs by opponent FCSes. There's even time for 1477 to sweep some of their misses up, and to tie up the opponents high-value climbers."

"Shut up JNo. We're going to FCS whether you like it or not."

"One match later: I'm sorry JNo."

"That was an early climb... the opponent's best cycler sat there on the pyramid stationary for 40 seconds while we cycled away at full strength and passed them. Not expected, but we'll take it if it's given to us. We shouldn't have won that match. Strange."

"Let the FCS shoot. Cycle hard. Steal their misses. They can't defend all 3 of us. The numbers don't lie, we should come out on top. Their FCS % is good, but our cycling % is better. We win if we both shoot ALL the discs."

"Don't wear the medal... put it in your pocket. It's curses and superstitions from here on out."

"What are we doing Thuvishan?!"

"Hello Einstein! Meet the Galileo Double FCS + Ground Pick-Up alliance! Hopefully your scouts were paying attention. PRACTICE SESSION SURPRISE!"

"Ouf something cut out AGAIN. Check the connections to everything! Tighten everything up. Was that a loose cRIO power connection? Argh @ those tiny screw terminal connectors."

"Recipe for success: Cycle ALL our discs. Don't miss. Block <60" FCSes. Steal their misses. Delay their high value climbs. Climb for 30. Serves ~230 points."

"Assume both alliances will shoot all their discs in a match. You should be able to tell the winner from the number of discs on the floor, given equal climb/auton points. See why we shouldn't double-FCS now?"

"Ouf... dead for 25 seconds again. Wait it's the radio? Not the cRIO. Swap out the DC-DC converter, cross your fingers, and have another radio programmed for the next match."

"Hmm... I see how we got 225. 254 for the opponents was surprising, especially since one of their robots sat motionless the entire match. We should send a student to ask the refs to double-check the scores."

"Mark Leon: This is why we do the math!"

"254 final score, less 20 climb, less 42 auton leaves 192 in teleop. That's 64 discs scored in teleop. With two robots, they'd have to both score 8 cycles @ 100% accuracy in the match. Neither remaining robot was an FCS, and one of them spent the last 44 seconds climbing the pyramid. On top of that they would have had to score ALL 51 of their discs, and steal and score 13 of ours, assuming we even missed/dropped that many. They had discs in their feeder station at the end of the match, which made this even more unlikely. Something does seem off. Send the students to the refs again with the math."

"Uh oh, they're lining up the robots for Finals. If this match is started and there WAS a scoring discrepancy, I don't see how we could ever go back and fix it."

"Students, politely remind the refs that if there IS a scoring discrepancy and it's not corrected, the last thing anyone wants is another Einstein situation like last year... "

"Wow... they did it. They found a math error in the addition of the discs when they were counted, and changed the final score of the match. I feel both great and terrible at the same time. My heart really goes out to the other alliance. They're feeling just like how we were minutes earlier. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"What do you do against 469/33/1519? Kimura, Zondag and Streeter. Good to see you all again! It wouldn't be so bad to lose to them now, would it?"

"What are we doing Thuvishan?!"

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

I was standing right next to them - figured I'd make myself useful.

http://youtu.be/3XOzG5WApnE

Never give up...never surrender! Huge congratulations to Teams 1241, 1477, and 610 - it was a privilege being a point-blank witness to your awesome, gritty, determined, tenacious, resilient, professional, insert superlative here accomplishment, from the beginning of divisional eliminations to the final match buzzer on Einstein!

A few more raw videos of the Einstein celebration, following the one I originally posted. Not as interesting as the first one, but I'm sure some folks will like seeing them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4zcfE4TfUY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-EtzZho4Q