2009 Philadelphia Regional

[Phil Ross]

Okay, so FIRST thing is first. Everyone who put their best foot forward today both in qualifications and eliminations did an absolutely fantastic job. The queuing went smoothly today and we have you all to thank...if you guys didn't show up we would have no one to que.

A HUGE congratulations to team 433 on your regional chairmans. I can't wait to see you guys again in Atlanta and good luck next week in Connecticut.

Another congratulations to team 341 on your regional Engineering Inspiration award. Although your team did not walk away with a fancy banner you sure do have a lot to be proud of this weekend. A WFFA (perceived to be an individual award, but really shows how good the team is), and an EI...not too shabby in my opinion. Congrats again.

So, here is my bystander opinion on what went down in the elimination matches.

Alliance #1: 103, 1153, and 708. Between the three of them I don't believe there were enough orbit balls on the field to share with their own alliance let alone alliance #8. 103 used the strategy of runner around the perimeter of the field gathering as many orbit balls as they could and then eventually took a huge hit on an opposing alliance. 1153 used their fantastic shooter to sneak up on unsuspecting robots and score an enormous about of points all at once. 708 was a great 2nd round pick and I was surprised they were still there for 103 to nab. They were a human loaded slow dumper but when it scored, it scored. Between the three of them, they were an almost unstoppable alliance.

Alliance #2: 378, 1507, and 250. Firstly, you guys were a pleasure to hang out with in the queuing area. 1507, although you were not the alliance captain you put on a fabulous show and really shined when your alliance needed you. Although your manipulator was somewhat slow it stored ALOT of balls. 378, your solution to the game this year was something that I never thought I would see a team do so effectively. Congratulations on making it this far. Team 250, congratulations on the safety award...So, my question to you is; "What do you do at the Philadelphia Regional in case of battery leakage?"

Alliance #3: 223, 816, and 87. Although individually each of your teams played well individually you seemed to have a hard time getting a working strategy together. In your first match you certainly had no idea how the number 6 alliance was going to play together and it was a complete surprise to all of us how they came right out of the pits and played liked champions. Your second match against them went much better than the first but it was still not enough. Congratulations to all of your teams on a job well done.

Alliance #4: 222, 11, and 316. You guys were awesome. Individually each of your teams showed great ability to carry an alliance. When you were put together I thought you guys were going to be unstoppable. Unfortunately, alliance number 5 had other plans. After emerging victorious in match 1 Cold Fusion, Spartechs, and Metal Moose were not going to let you guys go any further. 222, you showed a consistent promise of racking up tons of orbits balls each match. Also, congratulations on the Industrial Design award, truly deserved. Team 11, I am glad you guys traveled from Jersey to compete with us here in Philly. 316, as the weekend progressed, so did your abilities on the field. The drive team you sent to the field had an exceptionable ability to control that robot and every match I saw there was improvement.

Alliance #5: 1279, 834, and 1391. Each one of these teams had competed at least once before this event. After seeing Cold Fusion go all the way to the finals in DC I knew they were going to play a huge role in this weekends event. By their first match on Saturday morning they were set and ready to go with their new and improved dumper. Once they fixed the jamming, that thing was lethal. 834, finalist in NJ had a lot to live up to and they were sure not to disappoint. 1391 was one of the biggest improvements I have seen so far this year. Coming into Philly with a 1-6-0 record left over from NJ they managed to make it all the way up to the 8th seed and found their way into the 5th alliance. You guys came and really tore up the place. Congrats to your entire alliance.

Alliance #6: 395, 365, and 56. Another huge congrats to all of you on becoming the 2009 Philadelphia Regional Champions. Team 395, fantastic choice of teammates. As a NY team I didn't know much about you guys until this weekend. All throughout the matches your robot continued to catch my attention and impress me. Team 365, you never cease to amaze me. Coming from losing in the quarter final in DC to Regional Champions...thats quite impressive. I was honestly surprised that you weren't picked sooner. You worked well with all of your teammates and really pulled this alliance through a lot. Also, your human player was fantastic...he's a keeper. Team 56, this is regional #2 for you guys. This is a huge accomplishment. If the the title of two regional champions wasn't enough for you then its a good thing you were also awarded the Quality Award. Your robot and human player were both consistent and of a high caliber. Congratulations again and I look forward to seeing all of you in Atlanta.

Alliance #7: 204, 1089, and 224. Although the scores don't show it, you guys put up one hell of a fight in the quarter finals. Even though you walked away without a win in the elimination matches you need to realize that there were 30+ other teams that didn't get the chance to even play Saturday afternoon and you were part of Philly's 2009 creme de la creme. Once again, Congratulations to all of you.

Alliance #8: 272, 1923, 341. Although this 8th seeded alliance had two Regional Champions (341 San Diego, and 1923 New Jersey) it was not enough to beat out the #1 seed. Under the conditions you guys did a fantastic job. Congratulations again to 341 and 1923 and see you in Atlanta. 272 you guys did a great job and each year you guys come up with another solution to the game that continues to amaze me.

To sum all of this up, every team out there this weekend has something to be proud of. Whether it is an award or trophy or something less tangible you all competed like crazy while remembering the spirit of first. I am glad that I was apart of that this year an the incredible Philadelphia Regional. See you all in Atlanta.

-Phil