Phoenix update?

[jpsaul7usa]

Originally Posted by Ken Loyd

PS 1212 is doing very well.

I'm not so sure I would have agreed with you yesterday ;p We got the bugs worked out of our system by the 5th match but had a terrible run of bad luck with alliance penalties until the elims. And who would've ever thought we could get stuck inside the goals? We sure didn't ;p. I think the beginner's luck has finally worn off.

We did win 2 awards the first night though. Dr. Hobbs won the teacher of the year award. Hopefully this means he won't get fired for letting the team turn his classroom into a chaotic workshop of terror. I think a lot of non-robotics students were put off by the piles scrap metal and tetras covering their desks on Monday mornings.

Here's my summary/commentary of the regional:
28 teams is small, but not too small! It seemed like we got to play with and/or against just about every team there. It was a lot of fun Also, in this game, only not planning an alliance strategy will hurt you. Despite treating our 2nd-to-last match no differently than any other, no amount of planning could stop us from being clobbered 112 to 13. Congrats to 498, our neighbors 1290, and the AZ Champions 1492 for capping all 9 goals before our eyes. That was the coolest match we've ever lost!

I'd also like to point out that 1266, the Devil Duckies, had a really great robot this year. So good, every time they played they got hit hard and often by defensive teams, to the point where in one match their end zone was filled with their tetras from missed stack attempts due to interference. I think we all can understand how frustrating it can be when your team's robot is being knocked around and can't get anything accomplished in a match, over and over again. Despite this, their team stayed in high spirits and kept on adopting out their little duckies to everyone, and I really think they deserve a ton of recognition. They earned the sportmanship award more than any team I've ever seen in my three years in FIRST. Great job Duckies!

I'd also also like to point out Team 1011, Team Crush, who despite not having a working robot for the last few prelims, remained very spirited in the center of the stands. In a regional with only 28 teams they made a positive impact on the atmosphere for everyone around them. Go Team Crush!