Final Competition
Team Xtreme vs. The Sassier Half
We started off with our normal pre-programmed part, scoring 4 golf balls early and knocking the rest away from the wall. However, something was very wrong with the robot (we actually think it was the Vision Positioning System, but have no proof of this) so we were unable to move accurately or score any tennis balls.
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 5, The Sassier Half: 0
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 5, The Sassier Half: 0
Team Xtreme vs. There's Only One Ball-zooka
We fared better in this round, scoring the initial 4 golf balls and quickly scoring 3 tennis balls. We happened to get stuck in the only spot on the board where our timeouts couldn't save us (up against the bomb release mechanism), but we still came away victorious.
Final Score: Team Xtreme:13, There's Only One Ball-zooka: 1
Final Score: Team Xtreme:13, There's Only One Ball-zooka: 1
Team Xtreme vs. Team Hungry
The match started with both teams scoring a few golf balls, after which Team Hungry's mechanical issues caught up with them. The motors on their beautiful intake mechanism were not working, so they were unable to pick up any tennis balls. We managed to score two tennis balls and then flail around the board for a while. Not either team's best performance, but check back later to see something a little more exciting.
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 9, Team Hungry: 3
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 9, Team Hungry: 3
Team Xtreme vs. Outlaws
Let's take a moment to admire the beauty that is the lift mechanism for Outlaws. This team had us worried for the last week of preparation, and we were very lucky that we pulled off this win. Some of the tennis balls went back and forth a few times, so the overall score stayed relatively low, but it was a very exciting match, and a last second tennis ball score helped secure our victory.
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 7, Outlaws: 6
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 7, Outlaws: 6
Final Round: Team Xtreme vs. Team Hungry (r-r-r-rematch!)
This is the match both of our teams had been anticipating all day. While we kind of had a lead on most teams coming into the last week of preparation, Team Hungry made a huge push in the last couple days and got a great robot put together. And then when the final competition started, it was painful to watch them struggling with mechanical issues that had never been a problem before. Fortunately, they got everything fixed before the finals so we could see the exciting match play out. Since Team Hungry was coming from the losers' bracket, they had to beat us twice to win the competition.
Finals: Match 1
After our starting routines, Team Hungry made a huge play and put two tennis balls over at the same time. However, we had scored our first 4 golf balls and they only got one, so the match was pretty even. Team Hungry was relentless though, and tennis balls were flying all over the table. Both teams scored in the last 20 seconds, and we picked up another ball with about 6 seconds left. Unfortunately, we were about 6 inches from the wall and about to release this ball when time expired. One more second (or even half a second!) would have won this one for us. Oh well, time for round 2.
Final Score: Team Xtreme: 10, Team Hungry: 12
Finals: Match 2
To be honest, I have no idea what happened during this match. I don't remember it, but the video shows Team Hungry quickly scoring over and over, while we just kind of wandered around the board and knocked balls away. We had the misfortune of getting a tennis ball stuck in the only part of our robot where a ball could possibly get stuck, so the first 30 seconds were painful to watch. Once the ball was freed, we scored a few times, but it wasn't as spectacular as it had been in the past. We had some more bad luck when one of the balls we scored rolled straight into Team Hungry's ball collector, so we basically didn't score that one as they put it back over right away. We scored one more with 3 seconds left, but in the end it wasn't enough. Props to Steven and his team for completely rebuilding their robot between rounds, and I'm glad we got to face them with a fully working robot in the finals.
Final Score: Team Xtreme 10, Team Hungry 14
The final competition was a blast, and we had relatively few problems thanks to our relentless testing and improving during the 3 week build period. Our timeouts were flawless, and overall we probably scored the most points. However, it wasn't enough as Team Hungry thoroughly destroyed us in the finals.
Congrats to Steven and the rest of Team Hungry for their win and for being awesome competitors. They were extremely helpful while building the robots, and they deserved what they got.
