Better late than never, just like the most recent spring fixes that came in Team Update 19.
Week 4 Recap
Week 4 saw fuel flying as high as some airships, but dead robots unable to get ready for flight dragged alliances back down to the ground in some playoff scenarios for teams playing both in and out of MAR.
Hudson Valley Regional
Quite literally a stone’s throw over the border from MAR, three MAR teams competed at the inaugural Hudson Valley Regional in Suffern, New York, at the Eugene Levy Fieldhouse which is apparently not named after this guy:
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After Qualification Matches, **1923 **
ranked 7th with a record of 7-3, while 303 was right behind them ranked 9th after winning 6 of their 10 Qualification Matches. Although they had lost just one additional match, **3314 **ranked 24th out of the 48 teams in attendance. In Alliance Selections, 303 was the second overall pick of the draft and joined team 1155 on the #2 alliance accompanied by 1600. 1923 ended up captaining the #6 alliance, and chose 2875 and 6300 to hop aboard their playoffs train. Last but certainly not least, 3314 was the second pick of the #3 alliance, partnering with captains 3419 and Original and Sustaining team 20. -
303 lost QF3M1 after one of their partners failed to climb, but after beating their opponents with a third rotor in their second and third quarterfinal matches, they made their way to the semifinals. Meanwhile, 1923 found themselves across the field from 3314 in QF4M1. 1923 won QF4M1 by 2 climbs to 1, but 3314 won the second by a third climb and 1 kPa. QF4M3 would turn out to be a nail-biter, with both alliances activating three rotors and all six robots ready for flight with 10 seconds left in the match. Ultimately, the 2 kPa scored by 3314 themselves in autonomous turned out to be the difference in a score of 307-305, advancing the Mechanical Mustangs onto the semis.
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The MAR matchup continued in the semifinals, with 303’s alliance going against 3314’s in the second semifinal series. 3314 again scored 2 kPa in autonomous, but 303 fought back by getting 33 fuel balls into the high efficiency boiler for 11 kPa in teleop. But, with 3314 having an apparent drivetrain issue at the end of the match, 303’s alliance claimed the win with all three of their robots up their ropes. In SF2M2, 20 was able to score 7 kPa in auto for 3314’s alliance, but 303 didn’t simply stand by as they scored 11 kPa for their alliance in teleop. At the end of the match, 3314’s alliance was only able to get two rotors spinning, and with all three of 303’s alliance’s robots at their touchpads versus just two of 3314’s alliance’s, 303 secured a spot in the finals for their third event in a row of 2017.
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Everything seemed to be going 303’s way in Finals Match 1 as their alliance was up by 6 kPa scored by 303 and 35 foul points assessed on their opponents. All three of their robots had activated their touchpads, but as the buzzer rang 303 slid down to the ground. Although their touchpad had stayed lit as though it was activated, it was later revealed that it had in fact malfunctioned, and 303 had not pushed it for long enough when the match ended, losing them the match 296 to 205. 303’s alliance played the same game in Finals Match 2, scoring three rotors, 11 kPa in teleop, and all three touchpads actually being activated once the timer stopped. It had worked for them so far in the eliminations, so why play any differently this time? But to much surprise, their opponents had evolved, and delivered the last gear needed for their fourth rotor and 100 point bonus as the 30-second whistle blew. With all six robots ready for flight with 10 seconds remaining, 303’s alliance was down nearly 200 points, 296 to an outstanding 495. After earning three blue banners in their two earlier competitions this season, 303 walked away with their first silver medal of the year. Luck was further not in the cards for the Test Team as there failed to be a wildcard generated to qualify them for the World Championships, even as the first pick of the finalist alliance. But, as the third ranked team in MAR currently and beaten out by 2 Hall of Fame teams, it doesn’t appear as though 303’s chances to advance to this year’s World Championship will be tested too harshly.
**Festival de Robotique - Montreal Regional **
2017 Hatboro-Horsham MAR District Event Finalists **2590 **travelled back up to Montreal for the third time this past weekend, after winning the event in both 2012 and 2015 from the #1 alliance. Once again they found themselves on the #1 alliance going into the playoff tournament, this time selected by quick gear cycler 229, and easily won their two quarterfinal and semifinal matches, reaching four rotors in one of each.
- In Finals Match 1, 2590 missed their auto gear, but 229 delivered theirs to activate their first rotor at the last second, giving their alliance the lead going into teleop. After having the lead for the majority of the match with help from 25 foul points assessed against their opponents, 2590’s alliance was about to claim the win as their third robot fell from the airship with just 9 seconds left, causing them to lose by just three points, 282 to 285. All three of the robots on 2590’s alliance missed their auto gears in Finals Match 2, while the opponents were able to spin up their first rotor. This time, it was 2590 that was unable to activate their touchpad, just mere inches away from pushing it properly. With their opponents again able to get all three of their robots up, 2590 ended up earning their second finalist medal and Entrepreneurship Award of 2017, but were additionally given a wildcard to the 2017 World Championships North after the captains of the winning alliance, 5553, also earned the regional’s Chairman’s Award.
Rocket City Regional
- Apologies to 2016
after they threw a monkey wrench into last week’s post, where their trip out-of-district went unnoticed by the MARtian’s probing. But, 2016 traded in last year’s Queen City for Rocket City this season, and they meant (monkey) business. They ranked 10th out of 50 teams after Qualification Matches with a 7-3 record, a great improvement from the Mount Olive MAR District Event back in Week 2 where they went unpicked for eliminations after winning only 5 of their 12 Qualification Matches. With Woodie Flowers present, the Mighty Monkey Wrenches ended up moving up in the rankings to captain the #8 alliance of themselves, 6055, and 34 into the playoffs down in Arkansas. After two close quarterfinal matches that they won first by 2 kPa and a 25 point foul and second by a third climb, 2016 made their way to the semifinals. They lost the first semifinal match by just 9 points 251 to 260 due to one less auto mobility bonus and 4 kPa, but won the second by 25 foul points on their opponents. Unfortunately, their elimination run came to an end in the rubber match, where 2016’s alliance failed to spin their third rotor, losing to the eventual event finalists. 2016 did return home with the Quality Award in hand, which they also earned at the Queen City Regional last season.
Seneca
You know climbing in Seneca is going to be important when the LRI begins the Driver’s Meeting by saying “#rope”. With most robots already having some STEAMWORKS experience under their belt, cycle times have improved and scores have gone up. Just like elsewhere, fuel has become non-trivial and is now the ultimate tie-breaker with alliances that are neck and neck at scoring gears and climbing their ropes. Autonomous modes have kicked up a notch where teams previously standing still are now getting that 5 point mobility bonus, while others do are able to score their auto gear or start pressurizing the boiler. But, with three activated touchpads being critical for the win, one dead robot can spell disaster for an alliance.
Quarterfinals
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The Metal Moose had their pick of the herd by seeding #1 at Seneca with 21 total Ranking Points after their alliance activated all four rotors in their last qualification match. After being declined by 365, 1391 instead invited 708, ranked 7th, to join their alliance, and were able to steal 816, ranked 14th, as the last pick of the draft on the way back around. Across the bracket, Hatboro-Horsham winners **4285 **
found themselves captaining the #8 alliance, and selected **1647 **and fellow Hatboro-Horsham winners **2607 **to join them in battle. The #1 alliance came out swinging in QF1M1, spinning their first rotor in autonomous and finishing off the other three in teleop with 15 seconds left for the 100 point bonus. With 708 activating their third touchpad as the buzzer sounded, the #1 alliance swiftly took the lead in the series with a score of 447. But, the blue alliance made it clear that they wouldn’t be going down without a fight. Hometown team 1647 stepped up their defense in QF1M2, activating the hoppers around the red airship and doing their best to slow down the red gear cyclers, leaving them two gears shy of their fourth rotor. Even after scoring 8 kPa in teleop and 25 foul points on blue, 1391 was unable to get off the ground, and with 3 climbs to 2 the #8 alliance was able to tie up the series. The rubber match started off with some tough luck for the #1 alliance was 708 was seemingly stuck in autonomous mode for the entirety of teleop, leaving their alliance down a robot. But, with 70 seconds left on the clock, a hit by 816 on red tipped over tall blue alliance captain 4285, evening out the field with 2 active robots on each side. Both alliances were able to activate three rotors, but with 816 being left just inches short of touching red’s second touchpad, #8 clinched the victory by upsetting the #1 alliance and moved on to the semifinals, leaving their pilots quite literally jumping for joy. -
After politely declining an invitation from the #1 seed, Westtown finalists and last year’s Seneca champions 365
, who led the event in rotor points, touchpad points, and total match points, picked up strong sophomores **5895 **and not-so-misfits **3167 **to join them on the #2 alliance, and went up against the #7 alliance of 316, 4750, and 2180 in the quarterfinals. Both sides were able to activate their first rotor in autonomous in QF3M1, but 5895’s 7 high shots into the boiler gave them the lead going into teleop. With 2180 on blue nearly tipping over after a midfield hit by 365, red’s additional 9 kPa in teleop and three hangs gave them the win as time ran out before 2180 could deliver the final gear for their 4th rotor. QF3M2 was much closer, with Peddie’s hopper autonomous mode giving them 13 kPa after the fifteen seconds. 3167’s rope broke as they fell from the airship with fifteen seconds left in teleop, but with 316 grounded on blue, the difference in score came down to red’s autonomous pressure and additional 6 kPa scored in teleop, pushing the #2 on to the semis. -
The #3 alliance at Seneca was captained by 272
, who then chose last year’s Seneca finalists and swerve drive specialists **1640 **as well as tempestuous **2729 **to join their crusade. In the quarterfinals they were matched up against the #6 alliance led by 2191, who improved impressively after ranking 30th at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, along with 1089 and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy finalists 1218. QF4M1 started off with 1640 getting 5 of their 10 fuel balls into the high-efficiency boiler in autonomous for 5 kPa and each alliance starting their first rotor. But with 1640 seemingly also being stuck in auto mode after the bell rang, the #3 alliance was down a robot until Sab-BOT-age regained connection with 85 seconds left. 2191 gave red an automatic climb as they pushed 2729 away from their rope in the last 30 seconds, but with all three of blue’s robots successfully up and 272 still stuck on the ground, the #6 alliance won the first match of the series. 1640 again scored 5 kPa in autonomous in QF4M2, giving #3 the early lead again. But with all three robots active in teleop this time, red was able to activate their fourth rotor as the 30-second whistle sounded. With a last second climb by 2729, #3’s score of 400 points gave them the win and forced a rubber match. In the third match, 1640 was able to score 6 fuel into the boiler in autonomous, but only the blue alliance was able to start their first rotor. Even with some tough defence being played by 1218, red was again able to start their fourth rotor in the last 30 seconds, and with 1089 on blue just short of pushing the third touchpad on their alliance, #3 came away with the win and a spot in the semifinals. -
Bridgewater-Raritan finalists **219 **
ranked #4 at Seneca, and chose **5401 **and **2600 **to help them make an impact against the #5 alliance of 293, 203, and 1712 in the quarterfinals. In QF2M1, blue was just seconds short of activating two rotors in autonomous, while red went into teleop with 6 kPa already scored. Tough defence by 219 tore off part of their bumper cover, but with both alliance spinning three rotors in ultimately came down to climbs. With 293 on blue unable to get onto their rope, #4 took the win with all three of their robots ready for flight. Although 219 was able to score 4 kPa for red in autonomous of QF2M2, their gear got stuck in their robot, allowing blue to pull ahead by spinning their first rotor. That autonomous gear ultimately fell into 219’s ball hopper, leaving them unable to control any gears for the remainder of the match. But the tables turned with only a minute left in the match as 1712 suddenly lost communication, leaving blue just two gears away from their fourth rotor as the ropes were dropped. With less than 10 seconds left 1712 came back to life, but without enough time to climb their rope and with 219 desperately cycling for one last gear for that fourth rotor, #4 was victorious with 2 climbs to 1, flying onto the semifinals.
**
Semifinals**
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In the first semifinal series, the #8 alliance in red went up against #4 in blue. #4 took the lead with an autonomous rotor in SF1M1, but all of the fuel shots by both 5401 and 219 missed the boiler. After playing some defense, 1647 on red died with 80 seconds left in the match, letting 5401 score 18 fuel balls into the high efficiency boiler for 6 kPa. With the Iron Devils still sitting lifeless midfield as the match concludes, a last second third climb by 219 secured the win for alliance #4. In SF1M2, red was able to match blue’s autonomous rotor, but this time 5401 and 219 together pressurized the boiler up to 7 kPa. In teleop, #4 activated their third rotor with 67 seconds left, but just 5 seconds later #8 does the same. Even though 5401 blue is able to score 37 fuel into the high efficiency boiler for 12 kPa in teleop, 219 is unable to liftoff, and with all three robots up and boosted further by 25 foul points, the #8 alliance ties up the series. The rubber match between the #4 and #8 alliance would turn out to the closest of the series. In the third match both sides spin their first rotor in autonomous, but 5401 racks up 6 kPa which will later prove to be vital. Even with hoppers being dumped to slow down gear cycles, blue is able to start their third rotor with a minute left in the match, and red follows up with 40 seconds left on the clock. In the endgame, 1647 on red and 2600 on blue are both unable to get onto their ropes, and with the alliances even in both rotor and auto mobility points, the difference ultimately came down to those 6 pressure points scored by 5401 in the first 15 seconds of the match. Those 6 scored fuel would give the #4 alliance of 219
, 5401, and **2600 **the win, and a spot in the finals. -
The second semifinal series saw the #2 alliance in red against the #3 alliance in blue. In the first match 1640 is able to score 5 kPa in auto for blue, red takes the early lead with an autonomous gear delivered by 365 to activate red’s first rotor accompanied by 18 kPa scored by 5895’s hopper auto. Teleop started with the blue alliance wisely dumping the remaining four hoppers, scouring the field with almost 500 fuel balls. Blue got their third rotor spinning with 67 seconds left, but just 5 seconds later red got theirs going as well. After the ropes are deployed all three red robots made it aboard, but with 272 being stuck on the ground for blue, the #2 alliance takes the win. The red alliance again takes off running in SF2M2, with 365 dropping off their auto gear to spin the first rotor and 5895 shooting for 16 kPa, while the blue alliance failed to get on the scoreboard. This time red is the first to get their third rotor spinning, but blue isn’t too far behind them with 272 able to pick up missed gears off the ground. All three of red’s robots are again at the top of their rope as the buzzer sounds, but with 2729 just slightly too slow, and a foul against the blue alliance, the #2 alliance of 365
, 5895, and **3167 **fill the remaining finalist slot.
Finals
Of the six teams in the finals at the 2017 Seneca MAR District Event, only three of them even attended the district last season. Back in 2016, 3167 failed to get selected for the eliminations at Seneca, while 2600 captained the #8 alliance, which lost in the quarters to the eventual winners 365 who were the first overall pick. This time around, the #4 alliance of 219, 5401, and 2600 were in red bumpers, with the #2 alliance of 365, 5895, and 3167 in blue. On the red alliance, only the captain had ever reached the finals at an event before, and all three teams were still looking for their first win. Meanwhile, the blue alliance was captained by the 2007 Hall of Fame Team with eleven winner blue banners, partnered with a two-year-old team who won a MAR District and captained an alliance to the Carson Subdivision Finals in their rookie year and a seven-year-old team who had never earned a medal before. Both alliance captains had ended competitions earlier this year as finalists, but both 219 and 365 had their eyes on the gold this time around. Would the alliance of heavy-hitters win big again, or would the underdogs have their day?
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In Finals Match 1, the first rotor on both sides started spinning in autonomous, but blue took a slight lead of 9 kPa to only 6 kPa on blue. Just thirty seconds into teleop, all five hoppers were activated, allowing for teams to pick up fuel as they continue to cycle for gears. 5401 was able to score an additional 11 kPa for red in teleop, and with all six robots ready for takeoff as MOE just barely pushed their touchpad as time runs out, the 8 point difference comes down to the fuel scored by red, and with a score of 322-314, the #4 alliance claims the first win of the series. With alliance #4 needing just one more win, would 365 be able to work yet another miracle as the captain of alliance #2?
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The second finals match started off similarly to the first, with each alliance activating their first rotor and blue scoring 14 kPa versus red’s 9 kPa in autonomous. But this time, blue was sure to keep on fueling the boiler in teleop as well, with 365 and 5895 adding 11 additional kPa while 219 and 5401 did the same on red. 3167’s defense was able to severely slow down the red alliance’s gear cycles, causing them to not complete their third rotor until there are only 20 seconds to go. Again, all six robots were able to climb aboard their airships, and with 7 seconds still left on the clock, all movement had stopped on the field as the remaining time ticked down. In the end, the difference of only 5 points again came down to fuel, with the two alliances separated by the 5 extra kPa scored by blue in autonomous. The victory by the #2 alliance kept their hope alive, and forced one last FIRST STEAMWORKS match at the 2017 Seneca MAR District Event.
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Unlike the previous two matches, red won the autonomous battle in Finals Match 3 with 9 kPa as 5895 is only able to score 2 kPa for blue. But disaster struck for the red alliance as captains 219 are seemingly hit with the finalist curse and die in front of the red key with a minute and a half left to go. Blue goes on to activate their third rotor with 70 seconds left and red got theirs going a half a minute later. Both sides had been scoring fuel throughout teleop, but by the end of the match, red still had double blue’s pressure, 24 kPa to 12 kPa. But, with 219 unable to regain communication and blue able to get all three robots to their touchpads, the #2 alliance squeaks out the win with 365
, 5895, and **3167 **being crowned the 2017 Seneca MAR District Event champions. Alliance #2 captains 365 are now back-to-back Seneca victors, while #4 captains 219 are left with their third red medal in just as many finalist appearances.
Awards Ceremony
- After three Imagery Awards, 3 Entrepreneurship Awards, and 8 Team Spirit Awards, **203 **
finally earned the Chairman’s Award](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xncATSsggU&feature=youtu.be&t=32395), the first Culture Changing Award in their team’s history, while **1640 **won the District’s Engineering Inspiration Award, their first Culture Changing Award as well. Congrats to both teams on a job well done!
A Quick Peak into the State of the MAR-ion
While there is still on MAR District Event to play this coming weekend, the 2017 MAR District Championship is just over a week away. 60 teams will return to the Stabler Arena at Lehigh University for the 5th year, vying for not only a win but also a slot to attend the 2017 Northern FRC World Championship. MAR has already sent out emails to certain teams informing them that they have clinched a spot to MAR Champs and are officially invited to compete. Using Brandon Liatys’s new (unofficial) website, frclocks.com, the following teams have clinched a spot to MAR Champs this year:
103
365
303
4342
5895
747
834
272
5401
2607
3929
708
219
3974
293
2590
4285
1640
341
1218
3142
5407
1257
1391
5420
5181
25
3167
433
203
6226
1676
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303
, 272, 708, 433, 203, and **1676 ** have all automatically qualified for the MAR District Championship by earning a District Chairman’s Award. -
5401
, 1640, 1218, and **3142 **are eligible to submit for the Engineering Inspiration Award at Lehigh, as are 75, and 1712, but they have not yet qualified their robot to compete. 75 will be competing for their second time at Montgomery, while 1712 has already played their two MAR Districts. -
It should also be noted that the Rookie All-Star Award has not yet been given out in MAR this season with **6327 **
playing once more at Montgomery this weekend, and that **25 **is the only team that has (unofficially) clinched a spot at MAR Champs after having only competed once so far this year.
As in 2016, MAR again will be sending 22 teams to the 2017 FRC Championship. As stated in Section 10.12.3.7 of the 2017 FRC Game and Season Manual:
“[World Championship] slots are guaranteed to the Districts and populated with the following teams:
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*qualifying award winners from the District Championship (Chairman’s Award, Engineering Award, and Rookie All Star winners), *
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*teams on the Winning Alliance from the District Championship (including any Back-Up teams participating), *
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*qualifying award winners among district teams who traveled to Regionals, *
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teams on the final District ranking list, as deep in the ranking list as the District needs to go to fill their allocation.”
Pre-qualified and World Championship waitlist teams do not count as part of their District’s slot allocation. Districts are able to send to the FIRST Championship the number of teams allocated to them using the proportional representation model, plus their unique pre-qualified teams and those that qualify via the waitlist.
Aside from MAR’s three Hall of Fame teams 103, 341, and 365, **1676 **is also pre-qualified for this year’s World Championship by winning the 2016 Newton-Hopper Division Engineering Inspiration Award, and **222 **and **2607 **are already registered for St. Louis this year via the waitlist, which also does not count against MAR’s World Championship slots (Note that oddly, the official MAR ranking site only shows 2607 and not 222 as qualified for the World Championship while both are in fact registered, but it does show 2495 as qualified, while they are not yet officially registered). On the other hand, **2590 **was awarded a wildcard at the Festival de Robotique Montreal Regional this past weekend, which does consume a MAR slot, leaving the district with now just 21 slots left. The MAR rankings are currently topped by 365 and 103 with 132 points each, but with them both being Hall of Fame teams, any MAR slots they earn for the 2017 World Championship will be passed down as additional point slots. 2607, 2590, and 341 are also in the top 21 ranked MAR teams as of now, and any World Championship slots awarded to them at MAR Champs will be passed down to the next highest ranked teams as well. With 6 MAR teams already registered to compete at St. Louis (and 365 being the lone MAR representative at Houston so far), what other 21 MAR teams (plus any waitlist additions) will end up joining them as the season winds down?
Week 5 Preview
Montgomery
The 2nd annual Montgomery MAR District Event features eight teams competing for the third time, and even two teams playing at their fourth event of the year. As the last MAR District Event before the MAR District Championships, it is shaping up the be the deepest and strongest event in MAR so far this season.
Top teams
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Perennial powerhouse **25 **
showed at Mount Olive that truly nothing is beyond their reach. Raider Robotix’s friendly neighborhood Evil Machine Spider-Bot won 15 of their 18 matches back in Week 2 and netted the highest OPR at the event. Fresh off a win as the captain of the #2 seed, 25 is looking to finally push their way to their 20th Winner blue banner with their always-powerful drivetrain this coming weekend. -
Last year’s Montgomery MAR District winners **56 **
ranked #2 at Bridgewater-Raritan back in Week 3 with a 10-2 qualification record, despite their lack of fuel capabilities. Although they won their first quarterfinal match by just two points, they were eliminated from the playoffs after losing their next two. Concluding their first district event by taking home the Industrial Design Award, it seems that R.O.B.B.E. is bound to finish off their collection of a dozen Winner blue banners soon. -
**222 **
was the first overall pick at Mount Olive in Week 2, but were knocked out of the eliminations after losing their rubber semifinal match by only 8 points. As their motto says, “it’s all about solving problems”, and while they were hoping to solve one problem with the addition of a ground gear pickup, they have instead opted to continue using their tried-and-tested configuration along with a new side peg gear autonomous mode. They made it all the way to the finals at Montgomery last season, and hope to do one better come Sunday afternoon. -
In 2015, **225 **
won every MAR event they attended. In 2016, they did it again. They looked to be on track at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy when they seeded #1 and invited 2590 to join their alliance, but were surprisingly in the quarterfinals by the #8 alliance after they seemed to focus on fuel over rotors. But, TechFire was able to earn the 40 kPa ranking point in their last four qualification matches, and will certainly be coming in hot with Firestorm this weekend as they try for their 10th Winner blue banner. -
**303 **
has appeared in the finals as the first or second overall pick of the draft in each of their three competitions so far this year. After winning their first two MAR Districts of the season, they missed out on their 3rd win and 4th blue banner of 2017 at the Hudson Valley Regional this past weekend after a touchpad error in Finals Match 1 and the opposing alliance reaching 4 rotors in Finals Match 2. From ranking 22nd to 17th to 9th, the TEST Team has been inching their way closer to finally captaining their own alliance, and even though they captained the #1 alliance at Montgomery last year, it certainly won’t be easy with such a deep field this weekend.
Up-And-Comers
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Rain drop, drop top, this MidKnight train never stops. After winning the Mount Olive MAR District Event as the second pick of the #2 in Week 2, **1923 **
captained their own alliance at the Hudson Valley Regional this past weekend. Unfortunately, they lost their rubber quarterfinal match by just two fuel points, but expect these Inventors to be back with some improvements for Montgomery. -
**3637 **
walked away from Bridgewater-Raritan with a 9-9 record, but also with a finalist medal around their necks. Ever since their first finalist performance back in 2015 the Daleks have been steadily improving, ranking 2nd at Montgomery last year before being knocked out in the semifinals in 3 matches. With the potential to step up their performance and exterminate their way into a picking position on Sunday, watch out as their robot Compressor Gadget go-goes to the top this weekend. -
The 2013 MAR Championships Rookie All-Stars **4637 **
ranked #3 at Westtown earlier this season, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing their second match by only a single point. They have yet to make the finals in their team’s 5-year history, but you certainly don’t want to find yourself staring down these menacing venisons.
Hoping to put the “WORK” in “STEAMWORKS”
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**223 **
ran cold at Chesapeake’s Southwest Virginia District Event Week 1 where they went unpicked after ranking 31st, but they certainly turned up the heat for Bridgewater-Raritan where they captained the #4 alliance, their first time captaining an alliance since the 2012 Lenape MAR District Event. They unfortunately lost their quarterfinal match by 13 points, but after having won over half of their matches this year and two Innovation in Control Awards, Xtreme Heat hopes to add more fuel to the fire at Montgomery. -
**1279 **
has ranked #6 at both of their MAR District Events this season but their luck froze up as they lost their quarterfinal rubber match at each. They’ve gone 19-11 so far in *FIRST *STEAMWORKS, and are hoping to see their robot Frostbyte chilling at the top this weekend. -
Except for 2014, **1676 **
has won a MAR District Event each year since the inception of MAR in 2012, but has yet to do so this season. Quarterfinalists at both of their events so far in 2017, Pascack shows potential for much more. They were the third overall pick at Bridgewater-Raritan, and were the only member of their alliance to successfully climb in both of their quarterfinal matches. Will the Pi-oneers face better conditions at their last stop on the trail to the District Championship this coming weekend?
Handy Second Picks
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**1403 **
may have been finalists at the Mount Olive MAR District Event earlier this season, but don’t be too sure that the finalist curse is back for good. The home field advantage may be just what these cougars need to dial up their already consistent gear cycles and earn the gold. -
**4954 **
has ranked 13th and 20th at both of their competitions so far in 2017, but weren’t picked until the second round by the fifth and third alliances, respectively. With their ground gear pickup and good defense game, Palindrome is a great way to finish off an elimination alliance.
Sleepers
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After failing to get picked at the Palmetto Regional Week 1, **11 **
fought back to captain the #6 alliance at their home event Week 2 to a semifinal finish. With a little more gear control, MORT could finally be back on top and waving their flag high. -
**3314 **
has been running to the front since they first competed Week 1, going from not being picked ranking at Southwest Virginia to
making the quarterfinals at Mount Olive to being knocked out in the semifinals at the Hudson Valley Regional. They hope to eliminate the vices in their robot Vice before Sunday afternoon at their fourth event of the year this weekend. -
Junior team **5624 **
won both of their 2016 MAR District Events from #7 alliance, but came up short at Mount Olive as they captained the #7 alliance to a quarterfinal exit, losing their second match by just 4 points. Nonetheless, with their speedy gear cycles, Tiger Tech hopes to earn something to “sync” their teeth into at Montgomery.
Dark Horses
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75
made it to the finals for the first time since 2014 at this season’s Mount Olive MAR District Event as the first pick of the #4 alliance. With their ground gear pickup the RoboRaiders have won over half of their matches so far this year, but these raiders are still looking to pull off a win before the District Championship. -
**1391 **
might’ve ranked 23rd back at the Westtown MAR District event, but the moose were on the loose last weekend when they deservedly earned the #1 seed at Seneca. Although they scored 447 after activating all four rotors in their first quarterfinal match, they lost their last two in an upset by the #8 alliance. They have only one blue banner to show for their five finalist appearances so far, but hope to up that ratio with a win at Montgomery. -
After returning from the Greater DC Chesapeake District Event with a gold medal around their necks, **102 **
led the #7 alliance to the semifinals at Bridgewater-Raritan. These Gearheads have gears on their mind, and hope to pull another trick out of their hat this weekend with their robot David Hopperfield.
Rookies
- **6327 **
ranked 28th at Seneca last weekend with a 5-7 qualification record but went unpicked come alliance selections. Here’s hoping that the Tin Men fare better this weekend as they continue easing on down to Oz, and maybe even earn their heart and the first (and only) MAR District Rookie All-Star Award of 2017.
Chairman’s
This weekend’s Montgomery MAR District Event features many heavy-hitting teams vying for the final Chairman’s Award slot at next week’s MAR District Championship.
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Six-time Chairman’s Award winners **11 **
won it most recently at the South Florida Regional last year, but have only won it twice in MAR Districts, and not since 2013. But, they’ve won two Engineering Inspiration Awards along the way at MAR Districts in both 2015 and 2016 and are certainly in the running for a top award this Sunday. -
**75 **
has won the Chairman’s Award five times, including at the inaugural MAR District Championships in 2012, but only most recently in 2014. They’ve also be awarded Engineering Inspiration an outstanding eleven times, including MAR Champs in 2015. After missing out on both EI and Chairman’s last year, the RoboRaiders have finally gotten a medal again this season after earning Engineering Inspiration at Mount Olive earlier this season. -
**1923 **
had won Engineering Inspiration in 2010 and 2012, and most recently at the 2015 Tech Valley Regional. But soon after, they took home their first ever Chairman’s Award at the 2015 North Brunswick MAR District Event, and in 2016 won Chairman’s again at both the Mount Olive MAR District Event and the MAR District Championships. Having earned neither so far in 2017, they are almost a shoo-in to win one of them this weekend. -
Other than winning Engineering Inspiration back at the 2007 and 2008 New Jersey Regionals and the 2013 Hatboro-Horsham MAR District Event and Chairman’s at the 2010 New Jersey Regional, **1403 **
hadn’t won a Culture Changing Award again until last season. After earning a Judge’s Award at Bridgewater-Raritan last year, they took home Chairman’s at the inaugural Montgomery MAR District Event a week later. Will the Cougars win big at their home event again this season? -
**2016 **
has won three Regional Chairman’s Awards and two Regional Engineering Inspiration Awards, but have never won either of them at a MAR District Event. They won EI in both 2014 and 2015 and Chairman’s most recently in 2013, and are looking to finally make their mark back in MAR after missing out on both awards last year.
Engineering Inspiration
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A MAR team has yet to earn both Chairman’s and EI this season, but if any team can change that, it’s 1676
. As seen in their Chairman’s video, the Pi-oneers have been cooking up big-scale outreach projects left and right. Stirred together with several ongoing endeavors such as children’s books and advocacy for STEAM programs, 1676’s culture changing impact is stronger and wider-reaching than ever. -
**303 **
is a team with many strengths, not the least of which is their dedication to spreading STEAM throughout their community. From their new STEAM Week to their support of the NJ FIRST community by hosting events, 303 is another team that could potentially be presenting for both Chairman’s and EI at Lehigh next weekend.
Up-And-Coming Culture Changers:
-
While **4575 **
has never won Chairman’s in their five-year history, they earned Rookie All-Star at the 2013 Lenape Seneca MAR District Event and Engineering Inspiration at both Lenape-Seneca in 2015 and at last year’s Montgomery District. This season they helped start rookie team 6327 are hoping that this Sunday’s award ceremonies leaves them with more Savannah Smiles. -
**3637 **
has yet to earn a culture-changing award, but watch out - this team has been assembling a long list of outreach efforts to INFILTRATE their community with excitement about STEM. They host robotics workshops, mentor elementary school students, and DEMONSTRATE their robot. One day, these Daleks might DOMINATE the world with their STEM outreach!