Rapid React
Another shooting game? Yes. Another climbing element? Yes. Rapid React brings some common elements from the past several years but with some interesting new twists that should shake things up a bit. PCH teams are excited to get back to a new season of FRC competition.
As evidenced by week 1 competition, Rapid React is an action-packed game. There are a few takeaways from the initial week of events that PCH teams should pay attention to:
Beware the bounce out - Many teams competing in week 1 found that their shots would not stay in. High goals shots are very prone to bouncing out unless teams have dialed in their shots. Teams will need to decide if it’s worth it to continue their pursuit of the high hub or resort to a more consistent low hub shot.
Chase the RP when possible - There will be obvious specialists with traversal climbs or high enough cargo output to consistently get a bonus RP each match. Work with your alliance partners to pursue the most accessible RP while not forgetting that winning the match comes first.
Climbing isn’t the equalizer it has been - In many past games, any climb counted for the same number of points. There are now 4 different levels of climbs and alliances will need to be well coordinated in deciding which team climbs first to maximize the alliance’s total output while minimizing the time it takes to get robots hanging and off of the carpet.
Before hopping into predictions, there are a few significant changes to address in the PCH landscape. First and foremost is a drop in team count that saw a peak of 84 teams in 2020 to a current total of 67 teams that have persevered through a tough stretch that was the remainder of the 2020 and 2021 seasons of FRC. Any lost teams are significant, but there were a few long admired teams that will not be returning to the PCH fields this season including the likes of 4910, 1102 (now competing in SC), 4080, 4468, 7514, and 7449. The loss of 4910 and 1102 will leave the biggest gaps at the highest levels of PCH competition as teams jockey for positions in advancing towards District Championships and eventually World Championships in Houston.
With Houston in mind, the other big change is to a singular championship event. This change results in a drop from 19 PCH teams qualifying to Worlds in 2019 to a mere 10 slots. Included in those 10 slots are 1 Chairman’s Award Winner, 2 Engineering Inspiration Award Winners, and 1 Rookie All Star. Also accounting for the 3 winners of the District Championship event leaves a set of 3 spots for the next highest district point earning teams to fight for a chance at Houston. All of the district points will matter in the race to Houston this season.
Dalton Preview
A reduced number of PCH teams has led to a drop to 4 district events. With Gainesville being dropped from the schedule, PCH teams have had to wait until week 2 to get the action started. Week 1 events in PCH can be pretty rough as teams try to figure out how to play the game but a week 2 start gives teams a chance to see how the game has been played. Dalton was actually the site of the last official PCH competition in 2020 and it was a true showdown between top teams 1771, 2974, 4910, and 1102. In a somewhat similar situation, Dalton 2022 looks to be the strongest event on the schedule for PCH this year.
Top Guns
2974 has also thrived in Dalton with district wins in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Walton has been a model for consistency for years in PCH and has pushed the top tier of teams to keep up with the pace. Reports have them fielding a swerve drive robot with not one, but two intakes. Walton’s bot should have a high ceiling, but Dalton will be an early test of where they are in relation to that ceiling.
1771 is at the top of the list for teams coming in prepared for Dalton. They have demonstrated a 6-ball auto that should make it tough to keep up with them if they get ahead in autonomous. 1771 is also on quite a hot streak at the Dalton venue having won the event in 2017, 2018, and 2020 with a finalist finish in 2019. They look prepared to continue that effort in 2022.
8736 is somewhat of a newcomer to the PCH scene. The Mechanisms are a new team with a handful of students and mentors that spun off from 4910. An offseason effort led to them building a new bot from scratch and getting an invite to attend Chezy Champs. They have obviously maintained a high standard for their team and look to make an immediate entrance at the top of the rankings in PCH. Their bot features a swerve drive along with a turret and has been hitting the carpet at Walton’s DE field in Marietta. Expect to see the Mechanisms make a deep run in the elims.
1746 has typically popped onto the PCH scene at the Gainesville district event. With a whole extra week to prepare this season OTTO might finally be prepared for their first qualification match of the season. 1746 has steered away from a swerve drive unlike many of other top PCH teams. Their simple bot aims to be an effective “layup” bot. Will a predictable shot make them too easy to defend? We shall see, but OTTO is known to find a way to scrap their way into a finalist finish.
Out to Prove Something
6829 has proven to be a contender in PCH with a strong showing in 2019 that resulted in a trip to Einstein. Ignite then struggled through their 2020 event in Gainesville but managed to get things together enough to join the 1 seed as a 3rd bot and earn a victory. A well-driven tank drive robot with a turret could put Ignite back in serious contention if they can pull things together, but only being able to meet in person for the last 3 weeks might cause them to struggle a bit right out of the gate.
832 has been a ranking phenom in the past couple complete PCH seasons. Oscar finished at 15th in their 2020 Gainesville performance, but in 2018 and 2019 they racked up three 3rd and one 1st place ranking in the district qualifiers while ranking 2nd and 5th in the past two state championships. 832 might not have the flashiest performances but they are good at climbing their way to the top of the rankings. Keep your eyes on them to see where they end up by alliance selections.
4026 has a knack for playing the ranking game and typically forms their strategy around chasing RPs. Global Dynamics used a combination of heavy defense and level 3 flip to seed high at all of their 2019 PCH events. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them chasing a similar strategy this season for seeding high and playing late into elims.
Chairman’s Contenders: 1002, 1683, 2974, and 7451