1vs3 What would you do?

[Stephmthompson]

Originally Posted by SlimBoJones

I was just as surprised, being a coach on the other side of the field that we were facing only 1 robot.

1503 alone did amazingly well, and my guess is that they showed enough firepower to make the decision for 1507 to pin one of our trackballs for the entirety of the ensuing matches an easy one. 1507 was the most consistent hurdler at the GTR outside of 1114 and 2056. The strategy required scoring support from 1503 and 247, which both were able to provide nicely.

We did make an adjustment on our strategy against a solo 1503. Instead of knocking post-hurdled balls back clockwise as 2505 had been doing all of elims, 2505 focused on lapping instead. There were two pretty good reasons to do this, neither of which involved "going easy on a solo robot."

As a coach, I think the most difficult matches are the ones that just don't go quite as expected. It is a team's ability to react to different situations well that strengthens their experiences and allows for future sucesses. I saw this as just another opportunity to practice creative thinking and working against the odds. I know my drivers went into this match with a "let's show them what we can do" attitude. We'll always be able to remember the successes of this match in anything else we do.

Thank you to Team 188, 1310 and 2505. If I had been in your shoes, I would have done the same thing and I didn't expect any less of your alliance.

Priority #1 is to secure the win - this is a competition. The next priority for me would have been to execute and practice a strategy that would be used against the full-strength alliance - making sure all our members knew their roles and be able to work out any bugs & co-ordination - how great to be able to get the 3 robots out there and look for any weaknesses in the agreed to plan? And by running this at slightly reduced force, you can also minimize risk for your team going into match 2.

Thank you to team 1507 for selecting us and for soliciting our input. To team 247 for being such excellent partners, both on and off the field. I believe we were a formidible alliance and my only regret is that we didn't get the chance to show off our strategy at full strength.

Of course, congratulations to team 1114, team 2056 and team 2166. Our team has had great experiences with all 3 teams over the past few years. It has always been a pleasure seeing what new ways NiagaraFIRST.org challenges the world of robotics. You'll represent Canada well in Atlanta, and I look forward to being around to experience more of your successes.

Congratulations as well to Team 1547 - your Chairman's Award was well deserved.

Lastly, thank you to the organizers and fans of the GTR. It was a well run event and we look forward to it next year.