Thank you, all, for attending Mayhem in Merrimack in our twelfth year!
I was one of the judges this year (the goofy one, if you don’t recognize the face), and expecting that question I made sure to get a copy of our poems.
Herbie Award
The Herbie Award is for the robot that the judges consider to be the “cutest”.
It has lights and it fights
and it brawls with them all,
It shows off its arches
and triumphantly marches.
Above all of this, they look good too.
This award is for you, Team 1922!
It’s tough to figure out what makes a robot “cute”. Sometimes it’s googly eyes, sometimes it’s something that we think just looks nice. The arches, as well as the lights, made this robot stand out in our eyes.
Gracious Professionalism
Voted on by other teams for the team that best embodies Gracious Professionalism.
Even under pressure, this team gives it all,
Hex shafts, bread, and parts big and small.
Embracing the spirit, as all teams should,
They are, truly, a force for good.
The winner of the Gracious Professionalism award is team 1073, The Force Team!
This one was the first poem finished. By sheer coincidence, we didn’t realize until afterward that nearly all of the poems used the -all rhymes… I only realized it as I was typing them up.
The nominations for this team mentioned people going around giving out free hugs, as well as sharing many parts (hex shafts were specifically mentioned) and bread (not sure I want to know the story about this).
All That and a Bag of Chips
This award is for the robot we consider to be the “best feat of engineering”
Everyone knows they can’t be stopped.
With their elevator arm they climb to the top.
Their system can make a call, or aim the ball.
Atop the tower, they rule them all.
The All That and a Bag of Chips award goes to Team 1768, the RoboChiefs!
If you’re unaware, we DO normally give a bag of chips with this award. The judges were impressed with the extremely efficient use of space on the robot, as well as the stylish two-stage elevator system. The robot was sleek, and the students showed pride in their work.
Cotton-Eyed Joe
This award is for the team that we felt showed the most spirit.
A team with spirit shines with great might.
Just as the sun breaks the dark, blue Knight.
Standing out ahead of their peers,
this team functions like a set of matched gears.
The Cotton-Eyed Joe team spirit award goes to Team 1289, the Gearheadz!
The judges loved the spirit that this team showed during the competition. Unfortunately, it appeared that they had headed out before getting to receive their award, but their representative had enough spirit to make up for it.
Judges’ Award
The Judges’ Award is tough to describe. It’s up the judges’ discretion, and can be awarded for anything from “creative design” to “entrepreneurship” to “innovation in control” - sort of acting like any of the awards given out during official events.
The judges’ award this year goes to a team that captured our attention in many different areas.
They have a diverse team with gender equality.
Despite mentors’ doubts they still hit the mark,
this team really seems to have a spark.
Their rotating turret is nothing to mock,
Their team is sure to make waves and shock.
This year’s Judges’ Award goes to Team 4546, Dover Shockwave Robotics!
The judges were all impressed with all aspects of this team. At the end of their fourth year, they’ve prepared for next year when there are no more founding members remaining as students. They’ve implemented fantastic training, and by the time we had talked to them every one of their underclassmen had driven in a match. On top of that, their team had inspired a large number of women to join the team - they estimated 50%.
Their robot was well-organized and had an innovative turret design with clever counterweight usage. Not only did it look like a puppy (at the right angle), but it was well-positioned and brilliantly wired with an organized centralized box that both protected the control system and made it easy to swap out parts if needed.
If you have any feedback for the judges (even if it involves telling us that you hate our attempts at poetry), feel free to let me know!