2013 MAR District Event - Hatboro-Horsham

[wolfeman]

I concur with everything that Jared341 said. My additions:

- It was scary to look in the mirror and see... 3974!
  E=mCD Robotics basically built the same bot we did. 
  Most all of Jared's comments applied to them as well:

  "...simple magazine accurate fixed-angle shooter optimized for a couple of
    specific - but protected - shots"

  They shot from the same spots we did. Same 10 pt hang mechanism.  They were
  even the same color!  Primary difference was we did floor intake (to the
  exclusion of human player loading) and they did the reverse.

- It was impressive to see 486 shooting absolute laser beams. 
  I was expecting to see the dampening chains get sheared by 486
  launched frisbees... 

- 25/103 didn't have their climbers quite ready for this event. 
  When they do, they said it would be fast - much faster
  than the 30 pointers we saw at this event. If they
  can pull that off they will be very tough/impossible to beat. 

- It was cool to see how many teams were using that standard
  Home Depot 5 gallon bucket as the basis for their hoppers. 
  It was the perfect fit!!!

- Congrats to 1807/Allentown (neighboring high school to ours)
  for a top 10 finish. 

- We apologized in person but apologies again to the 
  Midknight Inventors. In one match our hopper jammed
  and the only way to unjam it was to drive into the wall
  and hope the impact would sort things out. It did that
  marvelously but it also had the unfortunate side
  effect of knocking over the station control cabinet
  onto their feet.... 
  [or the scorpion case - I'm not sure from the FMS
  white paper if they are one in the same. It's cabinet
  with the LED lights under the middle driver station...]

- congrats To Green MASHine (4460) on their
  Rookie All Star Award. They do FRC and FTC. Their
  enthusiasm was palpable. It's not clear if/when they actually sleep. 

- Many folks asked what wheels we were using on 
  our shooter. Nitrile Sure-Grip Drive Rollers from McMaster.com:
  http://www.mcmaster.com/#roller-feeders/=lqhiof.

[Siri]

First, many thanks to 708 and all the volunteers for pulling off their second annual Week 1 district event! It's no small feat, and we're all very grateful.

Of course, congratulations to our friends Daisy, Nemesis and Wildcogs for an epic victory. You guys are a site to behold, and I'm a bit relieved Chestnut Hill won't be as stacked as this was! We would have loved a finals battle against you, but we know you would've completely cleaned our clocks. Also congrats to finalists 1143, 3974, 816! We thought we had you there for a minute, but apparently 3 broken shooters can only get us so far against such impressive scorers.

Congrats Vulcan on your second annual HH Chairman's Award. I suspect you'll keep getting those until you take the clock home, guys! And what an cool climb. Additionally, great job to all the award winners. (Side Note 1: jeez, this event is stacked. Side Note 2: I love how you really do get to know everyone with the district model.)

Many thanks to 486 and 272 for selecting us! I know the rounds were rough on your bots, but going 2-1 in the semis is still pretty beast! We really enjoyed working with you, including the hectic fixes--you've got some very good crews. And to Storm, 2539, and reigning-world-champs 25...that was a heck of a QF battle. Were any other elim matches just 1 point apart?

Originally Posted by coldfusion1279

The main purpose of my post is to throw a little praise in the direction of 1640, Sa-bot-tage. I don't think I have ever seen such command of a swerve drive like your drivers had in those eliminations. Great shooter too. I was rooting for your team. Add a passive 10 pointer during robot open access and you guys will be killer.

Thanks so much! Our driver will definitely be at the practice 'bot sticks a lot in the coming weeks. We're fighting to get the 30 point climber ready for Chestnut Hill, though if not we'll definitely be there with a quick 10.

[nlknauss]

Congrats to everyone at 708, Hatboro-Horsham HS, and the numerous volunteers who made this weekend the success that it was. Our region is lucky to have such dedicated people to support our teams and events. Hatboro is a great example of how to do this well!

25 and 2539 - Thank you for being such wonderful alliance partners during qualifications and elims. We all knew we were a force to be reckoned with and were hoping for the best. Our team is looking forward to what the future can hold and I know both of you are too. You both had great robots and will have awesome seasons moving forward. It's very tough how things worked out.

Originally Posted by Jared341

2729 - You guys took a huge leap forward and were truly a force all weekend. With a little more tuning and practice, you can be the 610 of MAR!

Thanks Jared. Our students and mentors learned a lot over the past few years and were able to put those experiences into a great robot. An example of past risks and efforts rewarding us now. Outside of super locking that cRIO wiring harness, there are some things we'd like to try out before Lenape-Seneca to increase our shooting effectiveness. Looking forward to a great competition there.

Thanks to all of the teams for everything over the weekend. You all rock!

Nate