This is another long post, so here is the summary.
- We won the Impact award, gaining the opportunity to go to worlds.
- We made it to the semi-finals with alliance 4.
Anyway, click the button to read more or keep scrolling.
Techincal Stuff
This section is for the technical things that were learned. And I am geussing things were learned, based on the fact that our robot was completely nonfunctional on Thursday. And I have checked with the pit programmers, and apparently:
- Most of the issues were build-related.
- Captain 23 programmed the arm controls the night before.
- There were auto-balance issues where it actively tried to drive down the ramp.
- Many autos were made.
Event Stuff
This is for the good, the bad, and the weird of the event itself.
The Good
- The food at Williams Arena is very good. I got mini donuts.
- We got to the semi-finals in the playoffs.
- It's in town, so people who failed the grade check could show up on Saturday and travel was a non-issue.
The Bad
- The competition has a ban on outside food or drink. While this is easily circumvented by emptying one's waterbottle and putting snacks with the robot stuff or in one's pockets (while the guards can search bags, they cannot search pockets), it is still annoying to get around.
- Lunch on Friday was in the parking lot across the street, and this was March in Minnesota. In addition, the location was poorly communicated.
The Weird
- Several people spent the event hanging out as far away from the main arena as possible (when not scouting), so that they didn't have to deal with the noise.