Our second competition was at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, and it sure was exciting!

A few of us went down on Thursday to set up the pit, and on Friday, the matches began. Our robot performed very well, but that was far from our only accomplishment. We also made great use of our new electronic scouting system, allowing our scouts to push data to a pair of tablets that our strategists use in the pits. Our spirit team (including a dancing Dalek) also worked hard, both in the stands and the pits. Watch one of our favorite matches below:

The second day (Saturday) was just as fun as Friday, and Dalek morale was high. Other teams seemed to enjoy our special Pi Day buttons as much as we enjoyed the high scores that we and our alliance members were achieving. At the end of the qualification matches, we were in 13th place, and we were picked by Team 484 and Team 321 for the 8th-seeded alliance. Together, we reached second place in the quarterfinals, but we were knocked out in the semifinals. Nonetheless, we were all extremely proud of our performance, because despite not making it as far, all aspects of our team have improved from our first competition.

Now, we have completed both of our MAR District events, so we have to wait for the other four to be played before we know if we get to go to MAR Regional Championships at Lehigh University. However, just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean there is no work to be done—we have no more out-of-bag time, but we are keeping our RC-grabbing arm (nicknamed “The Cobra”) out of the bag as part of our allotted 30 pounds. We’re also working on upgrading our pit and scouting equipment, and brainstorming strategy.

Regardless of whether or not our season is over, every one of us is thrilled with everything we have accomplished. So far, we’ve built our first robot to see as high a ranking as 8th place, and won our first medal from a District event! Lehigh or not, this season has been unforgettable.

Pictures can be cycled faster by clicking on them.
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