Galileo 2010

[j.cole]

Was the match with us (379) Krunch (79) and 1717 (name slips my mind). The highest alliance score of Galileo? (23-9).

[vance]

I really wish that there weren't connection issues on our field, especially during Q72, it was our (1058) only chance to play with 217, and some of us on 1058 were predicting our highest match ever.

Q72 had three non-communicating robots, including us and 217, along with one robot on the opposing alliance. To make it worse, one of the opposing bots was on its side for the better part of the match. Is there a single person who doesn't think that ought to have been a redo?

[AlexD744]

Originally Posted by j.cole

Was the match with us (379) Krunch (79) and 1717 (name slips my mind). The highest alliance score of Galileo? (23-9).

D'Penguineers

[The Cyborg]

I had a ton of fun this year on Galileo! I got to see some really cool designs and playing techniques that everyone had. I really loved the incredibly large amount spirit everyone had on Galileo! I especially loved 79 with their giant letters used to make signs for practically everything! You guys rock!
Congratulations to 1625, 2056, and 3138 for the division win! You three were very impressive out there and on Einstein.

[MarkoRamius1086]

Hey Guys!

I would like to personally congratulate teams 1625, 2056, and 3138 for making it all the way to Einstein! It was great playing with you guys! Also another congratulations is in order for the Einstein Champions 67, 177, and 294, you guys gave us a set of final matches that, by far, outclasses anything I have ever seen before!

It was amazing working with Team 217 ThunderChickens. Your robot was innovative and your drive team was efficient. It was an honor to work with such a highly regarded team, and I hope to be able to collaborate again in the future.

You were our second pick, but 2429 showed more coopertition, agressiveness, technical skill, and driving skills that I would expect from any typical 2-3 season team. Keep it up!

1305, It was great to meet you guys and work together in that one qualifier! I felt like we really got to know each other and make new friends, while at the same time we did play each other in the Semis, in which I have to congratulate you guys for getting that far, and seeing as you did that it is kind of obvious how your robot and drivers functioned: as one impressive team.

365, or more commonly known as MOE, congratulations for doing so well! As with many other teams this year, I feel as if we made a great relationship and have hopes of working together in the future. When I see your team walk around, and especially when I see your drive crew, I cannot help but to think of my own team.

It was amazing to hang around with 1676 and 1902, and almost emotional to see both of them do well in either of their divisions after we worked together in the regionals. We all know a strong bond was forged between our teams, and I cannot wait to see you all in the coming years. OINK! OINK! BOOM!

As we all do, I am probably forgetting allot of teams out of the many that were able to go to what was possibly the last year at Atlanta. Therefore, I am going to give a shout-out to all the teams we had the honor to play with, all the teams that came along from Virginia, all the teams that got awards (we know from experience that getting a national award is no small feat), and all of the teams we got to meet and create relationships with.

A final thanks goes out to all of the supporters, volunteers, mentors, parents, and alumni that give their valuable and precious time to our cause and helping to give Atlanta a great competition it deserved.

Had a Blast in Galileo!
Sincerely,
Matthew Petrie
1086 Blue Cheese

[AlexD744]

Originally Posted by The Cyborg

I had a ton of fun this year on Galileo! I got to see some really cool designs and playing techniques that everyone had. I really loved the incredibly large amount spirit everyone had on Galileo! I especially loved 79 with their giant letters used to make signs for practically everything! You guys rock!
Congratulations to 1625, 2056, and 3138 for the division win! You three were very impressive out there and on Einstein.

They spelled out our drivers names, sooooo epic. And they also spelled sharks! Such a great freind to our team.

[BradMello]

It was unbelievable that we moved up to 2nd seed from 15th with the seeding points from our last two matches...the 21-7 and 12-11 games in a row were perfect.

To 51 and 2122...you guys were awesome. You guys are some of the friendliest and most dedicated people I have met in FIRST. Replacing and re-imaging a cRIO in 15 minutes? insanity.

I had a great time in this division, how about everyone else?

[Mr MOE]

Originally Posted by vance

I really wish that there weren't connection issues on our field, especially during Q72, it was our (1058) only chance to play with 217, and some of us on 1058 were predicting our highest match ever.

Q72 had three non-communicating robots, including us and 217, along with one robot on the opposing alliance. To make it worse, one of the opposing bots was on its side for the better part of the match. Is there a single person who doesn't think that ought to have been a redo?

Vance.

MOE agrees with you about replay of match 72. Obviously, given our strategy for that match, which included a "score for the opposing alliance: autonomous which worked great, we were counting on all your bots functioning normally. We also agree that the match could have been a very high scoring one.

Does anyone know if a replay was even considered and, if not, why not?

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by BradMello

It was unbelievable that we moved up to 2nd seed from 15th with the seeding points from our last two matches...the 21-7 and 12-11 games in a row were perfect.

To 51 and 2122...you guys were awesome. You guys are some of the friendliest and most dedicated people I have met in FIRST. Replacing and re-imaging a cRIO in 15 minutes? insanity.

I had a great time in this division, how about everyone else?

Thanks for picking us, Brad. We had a great time. The way your team showed your dedication to us during the cRIO incident was a large topic of our team meeting that night, and it really made our team happy. Thanks again for having us on your alliance - it was an honor.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

The way your team showed your dedication to us during the cRIO incident was a large topic of our team meeting that night, and it really made our team happy. Thanks again for having us on your alliance - it was an honor.

Chris,

The honor was really ours. The oportunity to work with you was one of the hilights of our season.

We honestly had no clue if you would be able to replace the cRIO and reload your code in time - especially when we realized halfway through that the cRIO needed to be imaged as well. It was a huge gamble but it really payed off for us. I am VERY glad that your pit crew got the opportunity to show how exceptional they are. When they sprinted to the field and dropped the robot on with less than 10 seconds left on the countdown it struck me that moments like that are what this program is about. It took everything you guys had to get it working and the teamwork and intensity can't be simulated or matched.

Although we did not make it past the Semifinals, the vicotry for our alliance was seeing your pit crew triumph over the balky control system. Dumping the bot on the field untested and then sprinting to the drivers box and going on to win the quarterfinal round with the highest score in the Galileo division elims (21-7) is not something we will never forget.

In retrospect it could have backfired and been a huge mistake to not bring in the replacement robot. What happened to our alliance on Saturday afternoon reinforces that there are potential rewards that are worth the risks. If we had replaced you we would have forever wondered "could that repair have been done in time?" We rolled the dice, and the result was amazing and inspiring. That moment made our trip to Atlanta special. Thank you for being a part of it!

Also, 2122 was great to work with and very cool under pressure. This is a team on the rise. I hope to see you folks again in St. Louis!

Rob

[The Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Rob

We honestly had no clue if you would be able to replace the cRIO and reload your code in time - especially when we realized halfway through that the cRIO needed to be imaged as well. It was a huge gamble but it really payed off for us. I am VERY glad that your pit crew got the opportunity to show how exceptional they are. When they sprinted to the field and dropped the robot on with less than 10 seconds left on the countdown it struck me that moments like that are what this program is about. It took everything you guys had to get it working and the teamwork and intensity can't be simulated or matched.

I was sitting up in the stands with my team, and we were worried that we were done for. It happened two times before (as 65) where our robot broke beyond repair and took us out of eliminations. In 2005, a wire came loose on a potentiometer in our robot's arm, causing the arm to go ballistic and break a solid steel shaft in half. In 2007, in the finals of our division, a plastic sprocket supporting our robot arm broke into pieces, and the team didn't have anything to replace it with.

The amount of anxiety we felt in the stands was immense, and watching the time-out timer count down without seeing any signs of improvement was only adding to the stress. We were literally jumping, screaming, hugging each other, and crying when we saw the drive team running onto the field with the working robot with little time left to spare.

The pit crew did a tremendously fabulous job getting this together. I was especially impressed by Chris Hibner, who had the daunting task of re-imaging the Crio and downloading the program while hoping and praying to everything imaginable that it will work. This has to be one of the best moments I have ever experience throughout my time being in FIRST.

It was also an honor working with 78 and 2122, and I really loved 78's hanging mechanism to the point where I went down to their pit just to take a picture of it . Congratulations on such a great season to everyone! I hope to see everyone again next year in St. Louis!

[vance]

Originally Posted by BradMello

It was unbelievable that we moved up to 2nd seed from 15th with the seeding points from our last two matches...the 21-7 and 12-11 games in a row were perfect.

That 21-7 match helped us out a lot as well. Our losses on Thursday and Friday put us down in the forties and fifties for seeding, but it really was that match that sealed us in the top 30.

Originally Posted by Mr MOE

Vance.

MOE agrees with you about replay of match 72. Obviously, given our strategy for that match, which included a "score for the opposing alliance: autonomous which worked great, we were counting on all your bots functioning normally. We also agree that the match could have been a very high scoring one.

Does anyone know if a replay was even considered and, if not, why not?

Honestly, for me at least, it was the only match I was worrying about losing during qualifications. I wasn't sure if we'd mesh well with Thunderchickens, and we already knew you were a very strong robot (we didn't pick you in Baltimore for nothing).

The reason 72 wasn't a replay was the refs didn't deem it a field error, even though it clearly was. The communication error was solved by our programmer; basically the wireless system is connected from driver station to field to robot. The refs only saw that communication was coming in and out of the field - they never verified whether the robot was receiving anything. If you looked at the field, you saw a green light/no blinking light at the plexi, but if you saw the robot it had the quick blinking light. The robot could only do things that were coded into the bot itself, so that's why autonomous worked, and if you were able to see it, our auto-correction actually pushed a robot away on the field.

Originally Posted by The Cyborg

I really loved 78's hanging mechanism to the point where I went down to their pit just to take a picture of it

That lifter was our comeuppance in two of our final matches against them at BAE Granite State. And of course it was their extreme versatility with it that allowed us to get the max out of our 21-7 match with them.

[MagiChau]

Originally Posted by BradMello

It was unbelievable that we moved up to 2nd seed from 15th with the seeding points from our last two matches...the 21-7 and 12-11 games in a row were perfect.

To 51 and 2122...you guys were awesome. You guys are some of the friendliest and most dedicated people I have met in FIRST. Replacing and re-imaging a cRIO in 15 minutes? insanity.

I had a great time in this division, how about everyone else?

I had a great time watching that last qualification match tooth and nail for that one point lead.

I couldn't believe it myself when the score of 12-11 showing up on the board in the last qualification match I thought BOB wouldn't have any chance of making it even to quarter finals because of that devastating red card we got from the wrong robot being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It seems like FIRST has a lot of those against the clock moments where teamwork really shows.

I had great fun watching the matches on NASA's webcast. I just had to miss all of the award ceremonies, speeches, and the Einstein matches because of a silly internet problem .

Let's see what another year of FIRST brings us as we say goodbye to Atlanta

[mwibbels]

Originally Posted by Rob

Also, 2122 was great to work with and very cool under pressure. This is a team on the rise. I hope to see you folks again in St. Louis!

Rob

Rob, Thanks for the kind words. We had a great time playing on the alliance - the positive approach and teamwork made it fun - and we really appreciated you guys taking a chance on us. The reliability issues that we had with our power system the latter half of the qualification rounds insured that we learned some lessons in Atlanta, that we are planning to build on going forward. Our team is dreaming of St. Louis - and hoping to see you guys there.

Mark

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Our team was very disappointed to not make it to elims.

Regardless, our robot performed exceptionally.

Here's proof.

Lesson learned: Design a robot with a different strategy than 2056, 217, and 1717.