We're really not that mean.

[archiver]

Posted by Chris, Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/29/99 6:42 AM MST


In Reply to: We're really not that mean. posted by Andy Baker on 4/28/99 7:37 PM MST:



Our robot had a couple of hooks on the arm to keep other teams from raising their baskets. We needed to use them in the match against the HOT team and John Deere. We needed to keep the John Deere machine from raising to win. We did keep them from raising, but in the process, John Deere's basket broke as they were trying to lift it. Then they tipped over trying to get away from us. We won the match but we weren't happy with the carnage it caused.

After the match we had to withstand some booing from the crowd that thought we attacked the other team (which is actually far from the truth). We also had to withstand a protest, which the judges quickly ruled against. Anyway, it made us feel like we were becoming disliked. The worst part is that the John Deere team was our pit neighbor, so it made things pretty tense for a while until we patched things up with them. In the end, they weren't mad at us, but I don't know about the HOT team.

-Chris


: I know I don't have to do this, but I feel that we as a team need to explain ourselves a little bit.

: A little birdy told me that more than a few people didn't quite like our robot design, and thought that our TKO boxing theme was not within the spirit of FIRST. I heard that various people thought that we designed our robot to only beat up everyone else's. Well, I'm here to tell you, that is not true.

: Here was our thinking: we saw the puck at kickoff, and we instantly thought that FIRST wanted more contact between the robots. So, we gave them what they wanted... action. I was suprised that more teams didn't go down this design road.

: We never wanted to hurt anyone's machine, we just wanted to keep our opponents off the puck and from raising their floppies.

: After we did not do very well in Chicago, we watched the elimination rounds. We saw VERY good basket lifters getting on the puck and playing defense. I thought that was a waste of many good basket lift designs.

: We saw our niche. We got rid of our basket design and went for puck control. We wanted to be the team that everyone wanted as their partner in the finals.

: Hopefully, we didn't tick anyone off too bad. If so, let me know, and I'll buy you a Coke also.

: Andy B.