It was a combination of SPAM’s (team 180) incredible speed and a well thrown soccer ball at the beginning of the match. The ball ended up under
71’s machine as it fell into it’s operating mode as SPAM made contact. Our alliance (311 308 180) went on to beat them that match to make it a 1-1 tie in the Finals.
I have to mention that one of our alliance partners, team 308 from Walled Lake Michigan. Their robot was able to pick up 2 180lb goals and then move forward into the scoring zones. Looking back I appreciate the ability to do that given the limited motor selections, transmissions and technology available at the time. You have to realize this was pre-AndyMark after all!
Team 311 only lasted 2 more years after that. The Championship Finals at Epcot was one of our highest achievements.