About one week ago, High Tech High’s Team
1538 The Holy Cows returned from the FIRST Robotics championship event in St.
Louis, Missouri. As you might imagine, the competition was fierce. Each match
was a thrill for both the competitors and the audience. There were a whopping
four hundred teams at this event each one meeting or surpassing the high
standard required to attend the championship. Over six hundred matches were
played in the three day time span, all leading up to a heated elimination
bracket. The best teams in the world brought their “A” game, and the Holy Cows
gave it their all.
Day one of the competition started with a
preparation period, followed by the start of the qualification matches. In the
preparation period, all teams must get their robot inspected so as to make sure
that it does not break any of the required guidelines. Passing Inspection can
be difficult, but because all teams have already gone
through the process on a regional level, usually it is quick and painless. The
Holy Cows passed after making a few modifications to the robot, and soon they
were ready for the qualification matches.
Every qualification match is important. Most
teams have around nine, and these matches dictate where a team is ranked.
Ranking is a very large factor in how well a team does in the overall
competition. The highest ranked are usually guaranteed a spot in the final
elimination bracket, and a chance to be the world champions. The more matches a
team wins, the higher ranking score it will have. Having a high rank is huge in
every robotics competition. Teams of a higher rank usually pick high ranking
teams to join their alliance in the elimination bracket. In other words, a high
ranking score gets a team one step closer to the being world champions.
The first qualification match,
coincidentally, was our only qualification match of that day. Because it was
our first match, it was the first time we could see how well our robot
performs. The match was a victory, and we walked back to the hotel with high
spirits. We went to bed, eager to get rested for the next day.
At the start of day two it was a rush to get
the robot ready for the first match of the day. We ran our “pre-flight”, to
make sure all systems of the robot are functioning properly for our second
match. Overall the day was extremely tough for us. Out of the seven matches we
played, we lost five. However we only missed the Coopertition Bridge one time,
giving us enough ranking score to keep us mid level in the ranking score. It
was discouraging, but because we kept getting the bonus Coopertition Bridge, we
were confident we could pull through the tough times. At the end of the day we
left anxious to see what the next day would hold.
We woke up bright and early for the final day of the competition.
We walked down the street towards the arena, and must have looked like a large
herd of cows; I couldn’t think of a time when our name seemed more appropriate.
Outside the arena we waited along with thousands of other competitors, just as
we had for the previous two days. When we got inside, some went to the stands
to scout, some went to get the robot ready for our last qualification match.
The last qualification match was a win, and a strong one. Our robot performed
perfectly, we scored at least twenty five points and balanced on the bridge for
a bonus. After that win our final rank was twentieth, out of the hundred robots
in our division. We proudly walked the robot back to the pit and got ready for
the elimination rounds.
The eliminations start with the alliance selection, where the top
eight ranked teams get in a line to pick their alliance. The order is simple,
teams one through eight, then eight back to one. The top eight teams can pick each
other, but once an alliance with another robot is formed, it cannot be broken.
A team can decline, but if they do, they cannot be picked by any other team.
Sitting in the pits, my friends and I crowded around a laptop with a livestream
of the competition. We watched and waited, hoping to hear our team number
called.
However, it didn’t get called. The top eight teams picked their
two alliance members, and walked off. Everyone in the pit took a deep breath,
we were not competing in the elimination rounds. We told each other it was fine, it happens to all teams once in a while.
Then we began to clean up the pit. It was disappointing, but we still held our
heads high. We packed up the large wooden crate full of plastic totes, then we
made our way to the stands to watch the elimination bracket.
The elimination bracket was exciting this
year! A total of thirty two alliances, each made of three teams, competed in
four large brackets. The winners of the brackets would go onto the final
bracket: the Einstein bracket. Slowly the strongest alliances made themselves
known, each one completely capable of becoming world champions; everyone knew
it was going to be an interesting finale. In the end, teams 180, 25 and 16 won
the event in a heated final match.
The award ceremony came, and we cheered for
every recipient. We all know how hard they need to work to win an award at the
world championships. For the Chairman’s award, the largest award at the
competition, there were many qualities in the winning team we saw within our
own. However, team 1114, Simbotics, without a doubt deserved the award. We
marveled at all their team had done, and we aspire to do as much for the world
of FIRST as they do.
The success of The Holy Cows cannot be
measured entirely on their performance in St. Louis. The FIRST Robotics world
championship is a lofty goal, but it is the journey that must be considered
when determining the success of the team. We still ranked twentieth out of one
hundred robots. We won the Chairman’s Award, qualifying us for the championship
event, which in itself is a huge accomplishment. We still learned and we still
had fun, and that is what matters. Besides, there's always next year!
