On April 28th, the national FRC robotics season came to an end at St. Louis, Missouri. 402 robotics teams from all around the world met to compete in four divisions towards one goal: being part of the elimination rounds on the Einstein championship field. Cybersonics, having experienced a wild season filled with high points and low points, traveled with the hope of glimpsing the red carpet and esteem of the Einstein field. Everything they had worked for in the past season had come down to one final event, and it took them a good amount of topsy-turvy experience to get there.
After kickoff on January 7th,
Cybersonics worked through the build season to accomplish the ultimate goal of
every competition season: to build a robot that represents the prestige and
accomplishments of the organization as a whole. At the conclusion of the build
season, many inside the organization felt that the goal had been thoroughly
achieved. Cybersonics then ventured to sunny Orlando, Florida, to participate
in the Orlando regional and the team finished 4th in the
qualification rankings at the event. In eliminations, the team and its alliance
partners reached the semifinal rounds before being eliminated. Although the
robot did not come in first, the competition was a success. The competition
culminated with Cybersonics winning the Motorola Quality Award – a symbolic
representation of team efforts thus far.
The 2nd event of the
competition year was held at Lenape Regional High School in New Jersey. Coming
off their successes at Florida, Cybersonics seemed poised to recreate their
success with a victory in their first match of the competition. After that, the
team steadily fell in the rankings after a reported programming malfunction and
a couple of issues with their communication in their alliance. The drive team
made their way back to significance from the near-bottom of the rankings by
qualifier’s end, and the team was selected as the first pick for an elimination
alliance. Though eliminated in the semifinals, the team still captured a
prestigious award and was bestowed with the honor of the Judge’s Award for
extensive communication measures and impressive global outreach.
The team had one more event to
attend before nationals: The Mount Olive district event in Mount Olive, New
Jersey. After making adjustments from the previous competition, Cybersonics had
its best showing of the season. They were seeded within the top eight, and soon
developed a powerful alliance plan that took them to the title game of the
event. Ironically, they would be playing against their “sister bot”, operated
with success by North Brunswick, New Jersey’s team 25. Cybersonics and their
alliance fought hard in the title matches, but fell one basket short of a
victory in the 2nd game, knocking them out. Team 25’s alliance was
crowned the deserving champions of the district event, while Cybersonics came
home as 2nd place finishers – with another award, the General
Motors’ Industrial Design Award, in tow. It was easily their best showing of
the season, and the stage was set for them to make a splash at the national
competition.
Nationals came and Cybersonics
worked efficiently the entire time, carrying some of their alliances, but
scoring with accuracy. Their valiant efforts, however, did not translate into
an overwhelming amount of wins. After their division’s qualification rounds,
they ranked 55th out of 100 teams in their division with a record of
five wins, three losses, and a solitary tie. The team was left hoping that work
done by their brilliant scouting team in the pits would garner them a spot on
an alliance for divisional eliminations. In a heartbreaking turn of events, despite
their palpable effort, undeniable ability, and wonderfully designed machine,
Cybersonics was not chosen to participate in the elimination rounds, dashing the
hopes of setting foot on the Einstein field. The team’s year of competition had
ended, and though a bit shocked at the outcome, 103 stayed and cheered through
finals.
Despite this, the members of the
team were still able to hoist the most valuable prize garnered from the season:
the knowledge that their hard work had paid off through the team’s success at
district events. Heading into the offseason, fundraising will now take prominence,
as the team continues to work hard in preparation for the upcoming season. The
team would like to thank the continued support of its sponsors, mentors, and reliable
fan-base by reminding them that the success of the team would not be possible
without their continued affection and dedication to the cause. The group of
individuals that encompass Cybersonics are capable of doing great things, and
they wholeheartedly are striving towards making the next year an example of
that, just as they proved this past season. Only time will tell if that success
can manifest itself in even greater ways this upcoming year.
Written by Karl D.
Distributed in the May edition of the Cybersonics Newsletter
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