Pennsylvania FTC Championship Tournament, Millersville, PA (02/28/15)
Who? Us? PA State Champions!
At the Pennsylvania FTC State Championship Tournament, we competed against 36 of the top teams in the state and won first place. The Robotic Doges won 4 out of 5 qualifying matches, and then continued undefeated through all the Semi-Finals and Finals matches. Our team was the Alliance Captain for the three-team Winning Alliance and won a spot to compete at the next FTC competition level--the FTC Super-Regional Championship.
Going into the State Championship, we knew our robot was strong and our drivers were capable, but mostly we felt honored just to have qualified to compete at States. We had prepared as best as we could and anticipated making a decent showing, but never expected to win first place as a rookie team. As the Finals Match ended with our team as the Winning Alliance Captain, we were stunned, but very excited.
The never-ending season continues.
Giving our presentation about the team's season, robot design, game strategy, programming, and outreach
Scoring balls in 90 cm tube during tele-op portion. This match was our only loss of the day--with a score of 382-504. Competition was fierce.
Scoring balls in 60 cm tube during tele-op portion. The referee on the left is watching to ensure our hopper does not touch the tube (it did not). Such a violation incurs 10 point minor penalty per occurrence.
A slightly tense portion of the day while both our team (in the foreground) and our alliance teammates for Match 3 (wearing blue hoodies in the background) complete modifications and repairs in the pit area. Our team's modification was a minor adjustment to the harvester system ramp. Our alliance partner was completing a major repair due to damage caused during their second match.
Fans and team family members cheer on our team during Qualification Match 4.
Successfully scoring in the high center goal during the autonomous portion.
After successfully winning 4 of 5 Qualification Matches, our team earned the position of Alliance Captain for the Semi-Final and Final Matches. Here our team is inviting our pick of 2 out of the 36 competing teams to join our alliance for the semi-final matches.
Tension mounts for our drivers during Semi-Finals. Winners of 2 out of 3 Semi-Final matches advance to the Finals rounds.
Our Alliance Team wins the first two Semi-Finals Matches, eliminating the need for Semi-finals Match 3. Our Alliance team--The Robotic Doges (Team 8645), To Be Determined (Team 6022), and The Wolverines (Team 5319)--earn the right to advance to the Finals Matches.
Discussing game strategy with our Alliance Partners as we wait for Finals Matches to begin.
Our Alliance Team wins Finals Match 1 by a score of 560 to 355.
Our Alliance Team wins Finals Match 2 with a score of 349 to 215, eliminating the need for Finals Match 3. We are the Pennsylvania State Champions for the 2014-2015 FTC season!
Our team runs through the judge and referee line to receive the Finalist Alliance Trophy.
By winning the Finals Matches, our team earned a spot at the FTC East Super-Regional Championships to be held 3/19/15-3/21/15 at the University of Scranton in Scranton, PA.
The three winning alliance teams pose with their trophies--Teams 8645, 6022, and 5319. We are in the center as Team Captain, flanked by the two teams we picked as Alliance Partners.
Our team won the Winning Alliance Trophy and the Control Award Trophy (for programming) at the PA State Championship. Each team member of the Finals Matches also earned a Medallion and pin.
The team's official invitation to the FTC East Super-Regional Championship.