Automotive Company Sponsored Winners

[379Robocat]

In my 6 years of FIRST I have always wondered that. We were a GM team for 3 years and the 3rd year we though we were up for an award. As they were announcing the team we were up on edge everything described our robot to a T except the last word "s-clamp". As they started to read the number the team was a little confused but they didn't care because it would have been a first. they announce it 3....7.....8 the team let out a big sigh as they graciously clapped for 378 seeing we are 379. They are the Circuit stompers from Newfane NY. After GM backed out of sponsorship for us we seemed to never have a chance. If any year after 2002 to win one, it would be this year. This years robot was amazing, very simple, very very robust, the machinery was amazing, just simple the best robot I have ever seen from this team in my 6 out of the teams 7 years in existence. Our team had hoped for a quality award instead of winning the KPC&B Entre. award for the 5th time. We were disappointed that we did not win this award at all nor really be considered. I mean the kids described it as well as test it for the judges. I don't like to say my bot is better then your bot but one of the robots that won this award was right next to us in the pits and after carefully looking it over I decided that ours would be competition with them. After watching their robot perform I was a little confused. After the start of their 10 balls and they were dumped that was it that robot was done it couldn't reload, HP load or collect it just drove around and played "D". We went against them and pushed them all over the floor, reloaded off the floor, dumped in side goals and played some massive "D". Like I said I'm not one to brag or say my robot is better then yours but this year I was mighty proud of that robot and would have stayed up a month straight during competition season just to get noticed. The only reason I can think they received the award instead of us was because they were a GM,Ford,DC,Delphi team. I apologize if I offended anyone or bashed anyone, that wasn't my intention. My point was that there was a robot that won an award and our robot in my mind was up there with that robot if not a step ahead of them and they received the award because they were a Corporate name unlike us. (I would have found out for sure which one they were but the FIRST website is currently down)