Posted by Brandon Rigg, Student on team #135, Penn High School & Capitol Technologies, from Penn High School.
Posted on 3/28/99 5:49 PM MST
Ladies and gentlemen, as a representative of team #135, I would have to say our team is in favor of rejections. We rejected Wild Stang’s (#111) offer to have us as their 2nd team in the alliance. At the time Wild Stang was seeded #2, and we were #11. We did not accept their offer because Team Macomb (#217), who was seeded #4, had asked us to be in their alliance even before the qualifying matches were over. They asked us for total commitment before the half hour break. And we commited to them. We did attempt to communicate to Wild Stang, but their stragetist people were not available to us, and we did not communicate with them at all concerning an alliance partnership. Team #217 did a good job of communicating with us during friday and saturday. They first contacted us friday afternoon, and they showed high interest. Then saturday morning, they were talking to us all the time. This is how it should be done, folks. Everything was done friendly and it worked well for us. If rejections were not allowed, we would have disregarded a signed agreement with 217. Just my thoughts, folks
Brandon
Posted by Brandon Rigg, Student on team #135, Penn High School & Capitol Technologies, from Penn High School.
Posted on 3/28/99 6:00 PM MST
In Reply to: We Rejected Wild Stang posted by Brandon Rigg on 3/28/99 5:49 PM MST:
And another thing, with there being 16 teams in the finals at nationals.
You would have to be 17th or below to be picked by one of the top 16. The
best teams will not be below 16. There were some good teams at Great Lakes
from 9 top 16 (my team was in that range). Let’s say wild stang wanted beatty (#71),
which they did, because beatty was borderline, and barely got 8th. At nationals,
beatty would have to get 17th to get picked by wild stang. They are not
gonna throw qualifying matched!!! we were in an alliance with them
on friday and our goal that round was a 540. We didn’t get that, but we still did a
good job. People aren’t gonna throw matches to get into 17th or lower place, you
would have to lose too much, because there is a big gap between teams in those places.
that’s all
Brandon
Posted by Kate Leach, Student on team #166, Team Merrimack, from Merrimack High School and Unitrode / RS Machines.
Posted on 3/28/99 7:45 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: We Rejected Wild Stang posted by Brandon Rigg on 3/28/99 6:00 PM MST:
“The best teams will not be below 16.”
This may have been the case at regionals, but you have to remember, there were only around 60 teams at the Great Lakes Regional. When there were only 60 teams the line between the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ teams is around the 16 mark. At nationals I believe there are around 180 teams attending. That’s 3 times more than the Great Lakes Regional. I really don’t think that the ‘borderline teams’ are going to be around the 16th seed mark. Just my thoughts.
-KATe-
Co-Captain '99
Team Merrimack #166
“Tommy Hawk”
Posted by Jason, Coach on team #252/254, Bay Bombers/Cheesy Poofs, from Broadway High and NASA Ames.
Posted on 3/28/99 7:53 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: We Rejected Wild Stang posted by Kate Leach on 3/28/99 7:45 PM MST:
I agree with KATE. I was told there will actually be over 220 teams at the National. I am willing to bet that at least a few of the concensus BEST teams will not be in the top 16.
With only 4 matches, there is just too much luck involved. I would be willing to bet that only about half, at best, of the regional champion teams will actually finish in the top 16 at the nationals. Most of those will be picked for alliances, because they have shown how good their robots are - but don’t just assume the top 4-8 teams will automatically finish in the top 16, it just won’t happen. Kate is right.
Posted by Mike King, Other on team #88, TJ², from Bridgewater Raynham and Johnson & Johnson Professional.
Posted on 3/29/99 9:22 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: We Rejected Wild Stang posted by Jason on 3/28/99 7:53 PM MST:
I’m not sure that the top teams will be in the top 16 either. At New Jersey, we were #1 seed for most of Friday and Saturday. Due to a string of really bad luck, (4 bad rounds in a row, breakdown, blownfuses, and missing alliance) we dropped to 6th. If there had been less seeding rounds, we might have placed higher, or lower. I must say we placed eighth in the regional through no one’s fault but our own, we were just plain outstragitized.
Posted by Peter VanWylen, Student on team #107, Team ROBOTICS, from Holland Christian High School and Metal Flow Corp…
Posted on 3/28/99 7:58 PM MST
In Reply to: Re: We Rejected Wild Stang posted by Brandon Rigg on 3/28/99 6:00 PM MST:
: People aren’t gonna throw matches to get into 17th or lower place, you
: would have to lose too much, because there is a big gap between teams in those places.
: that’s all
: Brandon
I wouldn’t put it past anybody. I am %95 sure that in Florida with so many teams, there will be throwing and super/super-unfair alliance.
There is no way around it unless there are no rejections. Maybe your team is better than that, but I think the desire to win is too great for some teams.
-Peter