Michigan State Championships

[Wayne TenBrink]

First and foremost, it is a great honor and joy to be involved in FIRST. Whatever happens on the field

is secondary to the positive impact that participation has on everyone - students, leaders, &

organizers alike. Where else can you have this much fun learning about complicated stuff, doing hard

work, solving difficult problems, and trying your best to do the right thing?

This was a great event. The game has really developed as all the teams have gained experience and

gotten their machines in top form. The scores look more like something from the first week of Lunacy

than they did from the first week of Breakaway.

We played against some great teams in the quarters and semi's. All of them (2337/2619/226 &

70/910/2137) will do our state proud in Atlanta.

These finals were brutal - in a good, FIRST sort of way. They were four of the toughest matches we have

ever played in. Who ever expected to see an 18-18 tie? The strategy for 67, 217 & 2612 obviously

involved trying to keep us from feeding the loop, and they did a good job of it. Near the end of the

first match we lost comms after a collision and blocked our own goal. Near the end of the second match,

We tripped the 120amp breaker - the first time we ever did that. By then our drive motors were so hot

you could literally burn your hand on them. We called a time out, and in our haste to swap out the main

breaker and cool the motors before time expired, we forgot to change the battery. In the third match we

didn't have enough power to cross the bump. We thought we had fried a motor and were ready to call in a

backup robot until we realized that we hadn't changed the battery. In the fourth match, I just prayed

that we could still move. Thankfully, it did and we engaged in combat with 2612 while trying to move

balls forward and slow down 67. When it was over, our top shroud was mangled, and our bumper frame (1-

1/2 x 1-1/2 x 1/8 Aluminum channel) was bent in more than an inch, and you could fry eggs on the drive

motors.

Thanks to 469 and 2834. You are both great teams and we hope to have the honor of playing with you

again. 469 puts innovative machines on the field every year and it was a treat to play the game with

them. They deserve all the attention they have gotten this year (and the picture with the dumpster says a lot about their character and service). 2834 is a young team that will be

heard from again and again.

Thanks also to 67, 217, and 2612. You always set the bar high for the rest of us and make FIRST a

better, tougher place to be. I know that playing with you has made us a better team.

See you in Atlanta!