The Best Team(s) to Never Win an Official Event

[Cothron Theiss]

Some that come to mind from Tennessee.

2393
In many ways, TNFIRST is concentrated most strongly in Knoxville. 2393 is one of the backbones of FRC in Knoxville. They share a build space with 3824 and 5571, they're a constant source of information and support to other teams, and they're some of the kindest people in FRC. Since 2013, they've earned the Creativity Award, the Innovation in Control Award, the Excellence in Engineering Award, and the Entrepreneurship Award three times. They were Finalists at SMR in 2013, the #1 seed at SMR in 2014, and have always been a team to watch out for at SMR.
(Their 2014 bot is also one of my favorite robots in FRC that I've gotten to see in action. The thing was brilliant.)


3140
This team is also one of the core teams promoting FRC in Knoxville, and they work very hard to keep raising the level of competitive play at SMR. They were quarter-finalists at SMR in 2014. In 2015, they were semi-finalists at the Georgia Southern Classic Regional and SMR, after seeding #2 at SMR. In 2016, they were semi-finalists after seeding #6 at the Arkansas Rock City Regional. At SMR, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the alliance that went on to win the event.

5571 isn't old enough to be considered for this thread yet, but the fact that they went unpicked for Eliminations this year is still a crime.

[TheBoulderite]

For Colorado, I'd say 4499, 1410 or 1339. All build steady robots and have consistently appeared in the playoffs, but none have won a regional yet.

[SharonO]

From Kansas City, I believe 1939- The Kuhnigits have never won a regional. They were Regional Finalists in 2010, 2011 & 2013, won multiple Chairman's and Engineering Inspiration awards, and always build asthetically pleasing robots as evidenced by their many, many Imagery Awards.

It is always a pleasure to be on an alliance with 1939.

[Billfred]

For South Carolina, never is a long time--teams that have played at that high a level with any consistency have hung a banner, and several that don't play at that level have backed into one at some point.

However, one team that seems chronically slept-on is 1876. Let's lay out the resume:

2016: 19-7, Palmetto 8 seed (QF), Orlando 7 seed (SF)
2015: Palmetto 2 seed (SF), Orlando 16 seed (QF)
2014: Palmetto 2 seed (QF), Orlando 32 seed (QF)
2013: Palmetto 30 seed (no elims)
2012: Palmetto 7 seed (SF)

Despite numbers that would be the envy of many a team, their trophy cabinet contains exactly two trophies going back to their 2006 inception: the 2006 Palmetto Regional Highest Rookie Seed, and the 2016 Orlando Regional Industrial Design Award.

[Jeremy Germita]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

I'm a big fan of 3250.

1671 is kind of an outlier here, as they've won (and earned) a world championship, but they have not won a regional.

3476 was an outlier for a while as well, before the OC regional this year they had two division wins at champs, but no official event wins.

I think both 3250 and 1671 will make it happy pretty soon.

3476 won San Diego in 2012 as first overall pick!

Definitely agree on 3250 and 1671. My local mentions would have to be 4201 and 3495. Both Vitruvian and Mindcraft have produced robots in the top 8 of their regional events.

[D.Allred]

Originally Posted by Billfred

For South Carolina, never is a long time--teams that have played at that high a level with any consistency have hung a banner, and several that don't play at that level have backed into one at some point.

However, one team that seems chronically slept-on is 1876. Let's lay out the resume:

2016: 19-7, Palmetto 8 seed (QF), Orlando 7 seed (SF)
2015: Palmetto 2 seed (SF), Orlando 16 seed (QF)
2014: Palmetto 2 seed (QF), Orlando 32 seed (QF)
2013: Palmetto 30 seed (no elims)
2012: Palmetto 7 seed (SF)

Despite numbers that would be the envy of many a team, their trophy cabinet contains exactly two trophies going back to their 2006 inception: the 2006 Palmetto Regional Highest Rookie Seed, and the 2016 Orlando Regional Industrial Design Award.

Billfred, You beat me to it. I definitely agree with that pick.

Beachbotics have brought a super competitive game over the last several years especially considering they had the #3 and #1 OPR at their two events this year.

David

[Bluman56]

In the NYC area, I would probably say 333. For the past couple years especially they've built solid robots. Obviously I haven't been around for as long as them, but for a team as old as theirs, I would have expected them to win already (granted the previous team I was on had their first regional win in 2014 during their 15th year of existence).

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by Billfred

However, one team that seems chronically slept-on is 1876. Let's lay out the resume:

1876 is coming to Smoky Mountains Regional for the first time in 2017. Maybe this'll break their streak, and they'll take home a win.

[Thayer McCollum]

Originally Posted by TheBoulderite

For Colorado, I'd say 4499, 1410 or 1339. All build steady robots and have consistently appeared in the playoffs, but none have won a regional yet.

I'll second that. But for some reason I thought 4499 had won a regional. I guess that shows what I "know" about my friends across town.

[XaulZan11]

706. Since 2013, they have made the finals in 5/8 regional events (each time as alliance captain or 1st pick). The three times they did not make it to the finals, they still made it to eliminations. They also made eliminations at the championship the one time they attended.

[JohnFogarty]

They have pretty solid middle of the top 8 seed robots at the regional they go to each season, but 1102 still hasn't won an event.

[Kevin Leonard]

I'm astonished that 333, 461, 706, and 4499 haven't yet won events. 333 was killer this year, I've seen 461 at multiple IRI's, and 4499 was pretty dope in the 2015 Carson Division.

2791 deserves not only to win a banner, but more than anything to get to attend a championship event. They've been so close so many times, in positions that other teams might win or get a wildcard, but some combination of luck and other teams overperforming has shut them down repeatedly.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by JohnFogarty

They have pretty solid middle of the top 8 seed robots at the regional they go to each season, but 1102 still hasn't won an event.

I'd forgotten about 1102 not having a regional win (though they do have a blue banner from winning Palmetto RCA in 2007):

2016: Palmetto 18th seed (QF)
2015: Palmetto 4 seed (SF)
2014: Peachtree 3 seed (QF)
2013: Palmetto 8 seed (QF)
2012: Palmetto 9 seed (SF)

The quality is certainly there, though 1876's performances in Orlando (whose relative depth varies over the years, but is generally ahead of Palmetto or Peachtree) give them a leg up in quality (to the extent performing well but not winning is quality) and quantity for me.

[EricH]

I'll throw 599 in from the L.A. area. They've been close a couple of times--'06 saw them knocked out of the elims in semis and in finals under "tough call" conditions, and they've been close a couple of times since then (and a couple of times before then)--but they have yet to capture that elusive first blue banner (not counting a WFFA from before those were blue banners). And they're pretty consistently in the playoffs.

[Monochron]

No real presense on here, but I have to call out my Alma Mater, 1102 M'Aiken Magic. Financial reasons (and a focus on their incredible FTC teams) keeps them down to one Regional per year, but from 2012 - 2015 they never seeded outside of the top 8, topping out at 4th and 3rd recently. As to what is keeping them from winning . . . I'm not sure. They haven't been able to seed 1st and it often appears that their strategy is to do so, maybe they don't often compliment other robots in the game.