Hatboro-Horsham Recap
Even a little bit of snow couldn’t set this past weekend’s Hatboro-Horsham event off its trajectory. In an unexpected first, none of the 6 teams in the Hatboro Finals were mentioned by the MARtian in last week’s post, nor were the event’s Chairman’s and EI Award winners! In fact, the only alliance captain this past weekend that also captained last year’s event was Hall of Fame Team 103. Was this a case of teams stepping up to the plate, or the MARtian just being god awful at predictions? Probably both, but let’s stick to the former for everyone’s sake!
The MARtian’s reaction while watching the 2019 Hatboro-Horsham Finals
Teams showed obvious improvement throughout Week 1, slowly but surely relying more and more on Null Hatch Panels as the competition went on. Some teams had tricks up their sleeves ready to go, especially 5401 with their unique HAB 2 starting configuration and 709’s automatic HAB 3 climb. Power issues plagued the 1st-seeded alliance in Finals 1, but they were able to take Finals 2 by just 4 points to push it to a rubber match. When the dust settled after Finals 3, 4454 was left just short of reaching HAB 3, but 5684’s last second scoring kept them in the lead by only 8 points. Congratulations to the 3rd-seeded alliance of 4454, 5684, and 5401 for each taking home their first blue banner and event win, as well as to the District Chairman’s Award winner 1647, first-time Engineering Inspiration Award winner 5181, and Rookie All-Star 7414!
Looking for Contributors!
In case you missed it, the MARtian is on the search for intelligent life - specifically members of the MAR FMA community interested in sending in contributions for MARtian posts, especially in terms of event recaps. So far the MARtian has only received a single submission (which is something quite intriguing - to the submitter, the MARtian will be sure to reply back soon)! Please see the previous MARtian post for additional details: The MARtian: Searching for Intelligent Life!
Mt. Olive
The MAR FMA event with the best light show since the Perseids is back and better than ever. For all but 2 of these 37 teams, this will be their first introduction to Deep Space, with only 1143 and 6943 previously competing last weekend at Hatboro. There are a lot of heavy hitters ready to make their debut on Saturday, and unfortunately the MARtian could only cherry-pick a few:
Shooting Stars:
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After a blue banner lull following being crowned the 2012 Champs, 25 has been on a roll lately. They’ve won every single MAR District Event they’ve competed at since the start of 2017, and captained the 2nd seeded alliance to the finals at last year’s MAR Championship. Featuring an Evil Machine that looks part Seymour, part Petey, and all business, with their classic Raider Robotix drive train and cascading elevator thrown in too, the MARtian does not expect their winning streak to be uprooted any time soon.
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If 25 was the gold standard in 2017 and 2018, 303 was the silver. The TEST Team took home the gold in 4 out of 5 MAR District Events in the past two seasons, and also won the Greater Pittsburgh Regional in 2018 and made it to the finals of the 2017 Hudson Valley Regional. With a hatch ground pickup, a speedy elevator, and a they-swear-it’s-not-sketchy HAB 3 mechanism, expect this teal team to be climbing high come Sunday afternoon.
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Team 1923….erm, Team 1923 is back in black and ready to throw some shade. After winning two MAR Districts back in 2017, the MidKnight Inventors fell just short of taking home the gold at last year’s Bridgewater-Raritan Event. But this season they are raising the bar, even if that means raising one of their partners in the process. Will their unique forklift HAB 3 system be what brings KnightShade into the light come alliance selections?
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Last year’s Tesla Subdivision Finalists and winners of the past two MAR District Championships, along with two other events in 2018, 2590 is certainly not slowing down any time soon. While not much is known about their 2019 robot, it should be noted that some alumni/mentors of 2590 did work with 225 on this year’s FIRST Capital Robot in 3 Days. Whether or not the lessons learned over those 72 hours gave Nemesis a leg up on the competition has yet to be seen, but all will be revealed soon!
Ascending to Orbit:
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This weekend’s hosts 11 and 193 have been hot and cold over the past few seasons, most recently both making it to the Finals of MidKnight Mayhem back in 2017. But this year the OG MORT is back for Redemption, and brought back their original red and black colors to boot. It’s hard to tell their true capabilities from their sped-up reveal video, but their two-in-one hatch-and-cargo roller claw looks to pack a punch. Will Beta be sporting similar fire-power, or will they be left behind like a fish out of water?
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Unfortunately for 222, it appears that 1403’s “Always-The-Bridesmaid-And-Never-The-Bride” curse might have rubbed off on them ever since 2016. With 4 official Finalist appearances (plus 2 at Rah Cha Cha Ruckus) in the past three seasons, the Tigertrons are ready to pounce upon success once more. Their robots are always simple yet effective, and this year looks to be no different. A straightforward arm allows them to lift both cargo and hatches with the simplest of ease, and hopefully they’ll be lifting a trophy as well after this Sunday’s awards ceremony.
Stargazers:
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1257 is shooting for the stars with their 2019 robot, Shooting Shark. Their meaty cargo intake looks to devour any balls rolling across the field, and along with its HAB 3 climber and hatch ground pickup, this bot might prove to be powerful threat to their opponents. Parallel Universe has found success in the past by keeping things simple, and it seems they may have yet again hit the nail on the (hammer)head.
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While 1403 didn’t make it out of the Quarterfinals at either MAR District Event last year, and went unpicked at MAR Champs, they did emerge victorious at the 2018 Ramp Riot offseason competition. This season it appears as though their armed with a mighty….arm, hopefully allowing them to reach success once more. The Cougars are planning to roar loudly yet again, so don’t count these big cats out just yet.
Rookies:
- The MARtian extends a friendly “Greetings Earthlings” to rookies 7853 from Elizabeth High School in Elizabeth, NJ. Named after the Kronecker Delta to remind them to act as one team despite the diverse backgrounds of their team members, the MARtian has no doubt that this team will find its true identity in no time at all. Best of luck this weekend and throughout the rest of the season!
Chairman’s:
- The battle for the Chairman’s Award at Mt. Olive will be just as tough as the competition itself. The MARtian expects the fight to come down to heavy hitters 303 and 1923, each with 4 Chairman’s Awards already under their belts. 303 most recently won Chairman’s at the 2017 and 2015 Mt. Olive District Events, and at MAR Champs back in 2014. Meanwhile, 1923 won Chairman’s at the 2016 Mt. Olive District and 2016 MAR Champs, as well as at the Bridgewater-Raritan District Event last year. However, it was this weekend’s hosts team 11 themselves that took home the banner at last season’s Mt. Olive District, along with at the 2016 South Florida Regional and 2014 Hawaii Regional. But with a number of other teams also eager to throw their names into the hat, namely former yearly Culture Changing powerhouse 75, the 2016 Montgomery District Chairman’s Award winners 1403, and even 6-time EI winners but 0-time Chairman’s winners 3142, the verdict is out for who will emerge victorious at the end of this weekend.
Westtown
Westown 2019 is shaping up to be quite the competitive event. 24 of the 33 teams competing this weekend are returning for the second year in a row, but only 1391, 3929, and last weekend’s 1st seed and winning captains 4454 have Deep Space experience under their belt.
Shooting Stars:
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While 341 made it to the Finals of last season’s Montgomery MAR District Event and even the Carver Subdivision, they surprisingly have not clinched a victory since MAR Champs 2016, and before that MAR Champs 2014. Despite a serious dietary plan and a last-minute crunched versaplanetary stage on Bag Night, Miss Daisy is ready to get back in the driver’s seat for a nice, smooth ride right to the winner’s circle. Their vision-tracking auto-alignment software will certainly help keep them on the right track while they’re at it.
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Just like 341, 365 also made it to the final of a MAR District and Championship Subdivision in 2018, with theirs being at Westtown and the Darwin Division. And, back in 2017, MOE won Seneca, and reached the finals of Westtown, MAR Champs, and the Roebling Subdivision. While not much is known about their 2019 robot SuperMOEva, this star team is destined to shine bright as they burst into Destination: Deep Space.
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1640, winners at last year’s Seneca District Event and finalists at the 2018 Hatboro-Horsham, MAR Champs, and Carson Subdivision, are ready to do circles around 2019. Their tried and true swerve drive will allow them to expertly line up against the rocket and at all cargo ship loading locations, and a tall elevator will leave now cargo bay empty. This two-time Einstein team may start off slow on Saturday morning, but expect them to be firing on all cylinders by the time playoffs come around.
Ascending to Orbit:
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Fresh off a win at last week’s Hatboro-Horsham District Event, 4454 is set to blast off for the second weekend in a row. With most other teams still counting down to liftoff, the Artisan Rockets have already flown through Deep Space and are prepping for their reentry burn. By doubling-down on their defense and improving their HAB 3 technique, they have their sights once again set on the stars. But, even if they don’t end up seeding 1st again, they have a bumper ready for either alliance!
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Last year’s Westtown finalists 1712 are back for more, swapping out last season’s elevator with what appears to be a 4-bar to send them into Deep Space. But what may set Dawgma apart from the rest of the pack is their autonomous pathing algorithm, which might prove vital for sandstorm success. Will they be thrown a bone this weekend, or will they be left shut out of the dawghouse?
Stargazers:
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Although they ranked in the bottom 40% at Hatboro-Horsham last weekend, 1391 certainly proved their skills when eliminations came around. Their quick offense and smart defense gave the 5th-seeded alliance a fighting chance, but ultimately they met an unfateful early end in the quarterfinals. You should never stand in the way of a charging moose, so watch out, because this team is on the move. A better showing from this West Chester team is certainly on the horizon for this week.
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5407 won Excellence in Engineering at all three MAR District Events they competed at in 2018, and by the looks of their 2019 robot, they might be on track to repeat that feat. One side of their bot features a virtual 4-bar to score hatches and cargo up high, while a Level-1 hatch mechanism allows for additional scoring on the back. Add in their quick and easy HAB 3 climb, and this Wolfpack will be howling loudly on Sunday afternoon.
Chairman’s:
- Just like Mt. Olive, the competition off the field at Westtown won’t be any easier than inside the arena. Although the winners of last year’s Westtown Chairman’s and EI Awards, 321 and 2729, respectively, are returning for 2019, there are plenty of other big names out there that could easily claim them as their own. Certainly in the discussion is 272, the Chairman’s Award winner at the last two MAR District Championships, as well as 10-time perennial Chairman’s favorites 433. But, there are many others who could surprise (a la last weekend’s Hatboro-Horsham), including 2017 Westtown EI winners 1712, 2018 Hatboro-Horsham Chairman’s winners 1640, 3-time Engineering Inspiration Award winners and 2017 Montgomery Chairman’s winners 4575, and even 6-time Imagery Award winners 5113. But with 34 other teams also vying for the trophy, who knows what might happen on Sunday night.
N.E.Where but Here
- For the second year in a row, teams 1676 and 3314 are traveling up to Waterbury, Connecticut, to rake in some practice time prior to competing in
MARFMA, and this time 4653 is going along for the ride, too. The Pascack Pi-oneers and the Mechanical Mustangs did end up teaming up for the playoffs at last season’s Waterbury NE District Event, but their elimination run stopped short in the competition’s semifinals. Will any of these threeMARFMA teams be able to crack the finals this time around, and maybe even bring back home the gold? Elsewhere, 2013 Bridgewater-Raritan District Event champs 714 are competing at this weekend’s Tech Valley Regional, while last year’s MAR Champs winners 2016 hopes to blow away the competition out in Chicago at the Midwest Regional. Best of luck to allMARFMA teams competing out-of-district this weekend, and we hope you come back victorious!