Indiana Robotics Invitational (Post Season) - June 2017
We competed at the Indiana Robotics Invitational, where there were 22 teams from Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Kentucky. We arrived in Indiana on Friday, where we were able to go on a tour of the Ganassi IndyCar Facility, which was a great opportunity to see how engineering principles are applied in a different, unique environment. We also attended a social event hosted by the Mecha Hamsters, where we were able to meet many of the teams from the Midwest.
At the tournament, we played 6 qualification matches and were the tenth ranked team. We were the first pick of the first alliance, team 9790, Vier Left, and our alliance was completed with team 5202, Zip Tie Fighters. We played 3 semi-finals matches and 4 finals matches, and ended as the Winning Alliance. See below for detailed reflections on the tournament.
At the tournament, we played 6 qualification matches and were the tenth ranked team. We were the first pick of the first alliance, team 9790, Vier Left, and our alliance was completed with team 5202, Zip Tie Fighters. We played 3 semi-finals matches and 4 finals matches, and ended as the Winning Alliance. See below for detailed reflections on the tournament.
Maryland Tech Invitational (Post Season) - June 2017
On June 24-25 our team competed at the first Maryland Tech Invitational offseason event. Our goal for the event was to create a name for ourselves through our robot performance. We started off the first day of competition by getting interviewed by two judging panels, one for hardware and the other for software. We later had a second set of software judges who asked us about the sensors we used in our code. We won 6 and lost 3 of our qualification matches; two of those losses could have been easily avoided if the drivers had paid closer attention to what they were doing. The first occurred because of a loose set screw that caused our drivetrain to stop working properly. The second loss was because we ran the wrong autonomous program. We ended qualification matches as the fourth seasted team. We picked FTC Team 8645 Robotic Doges and FTC Team 7244 Out of the Box Robotics. We lost the first match, won the second, tied the third and lost the fourth to the first seeded alliance. Our highest score was 280 points during the second match of the semi finals. The reason we tied a match and lost the last match of the semi-finals was because our autonomous was not able to run on a battery that wasn’t fully charged. We had played many matches and did not manage our batteries properly, so they were not at full capacity. Our team won the Wortech Sensor Fusion Award and received a $500 grant from them for our innovative use of sensor fusion.
FTC World Championships In St. Louis Missouri - April 2017
Description:
The FTC World Championship was the culmination of the 2016-2017 FIRST season. It spanned from April 24 - April 29 in St. Louis Missouri at numerous venues. The World Championship is what every FIRST team dreams of getting to. It is a prestigious event that teams have to work their hardest to get to. The Wizards were so happy to be able to make it to Worlds for both of the years we have been around. On day one, the team arrived in waves to the city of St. Louis. We were jumping with excitement and in the afternoon, met together as a team. The second that they opened the pits to the public, we all rushed down with all of our pit supplies. Within an hour, we had constructed our pit we had worked so hard to build. With blue curtains, a PVC frame, 7 banners, a table full with tons of nick nacks on it, and much more, we were ready for the competition. That was really all that went down on the first day. We then met together and ate dinner at a restaurant. The next day, the whole venue literally awoke. Teams were still coming in, pit scouting was taking place, judging was happening. So many things were happening! Our team started to pair up in groups and go around the pits. We met a lot of teams that day. This was really the first day of the competition. Later on, teams started to go for judging. We were one of the last teams to go. We gave it our best and felt it was our best presentation yet. And at the end of the day, the official opening of the FTC championship happened and matches started. It was so amazing to watch the robots at this level. Our scouting team really had a challenge to figure out what was going on when there was so much happening of the fields. Again, we went to dinner and got ready for another amazing day. On the third day, it was just matches matches matches. Our robot had highs and lows but overall we were happy with Gandalf's performance. Sadly, because we were the last batch of teams in the judging section, we were not advanced for pit judging. It was upsetting, but that didn't mean we wouldn't do well in the robot segment. We talked a lot with other teams and had a lot of fun as well this day. The fourth day of the competition, we were about halfway through robot matches. Gandalf had a good that on the 27th and so did we! Later in the day, we headed over to the dome for the official FIRST opening ceremonies (a bit late if you ask me!). It was a ton of fun. Right before, we had the opportunity of watching some FRC matches. Again dinner then bed. The next day, we finished up the rest of the qualifying matches and started with the finals. We were so happy when we made it into the finals. We gave it our best but did loose a formidable team Bobots who are our good friends. We then just relaxed and watched matches for the rest of the day. In the evening, we went over to the Opera House for the FTC awards ceremony, it was in one word amazing. We had a blast there and met the superstar of FIRST Woodie Flowers there. After that, we had dinner as a team and went back to the hotel. We had a great final day, watched the final matches (YAY, BOBOTS WON!) and headed over to the dome for the closing ceremonies. It was super fun and we got signatures from Woodie Flowers! We were so thankful for the opportunity to come to St. Louis for Worlds and had the time of our lives.
The FTC World Championship was the culmination of the 2016-2017 FIRST season. It spanned from April 24 - April 29 in St. Louis Missouri at numerous venues. The World Championship is what every FIRST team dreams of getting to. It is a prestigious event that teams have to work their hardest to get to. The Wizards were so happy to be able to make it to Worlds for both of the years we have been around. On day one, the team arrived in waves to the city of St. Louis. We were jumping with excitement and in the afternoon, met together as a team. The second that they opened the pits to the public, we all rushed down with all of our pit supplies. Within an hour, we had constructed our pit we had worked so hard to build. With blue curtains, a PVC frame, 7 banners, a table full with tons of nick nacks on it, and much more, we were ready for the competition. That was really all that went down on the first day. We then met together and ate dinner at a restaurant. The next day, the whole venue literally awoke. Teams were still coming in, pit scouting was taking place, judging was happening. So many things were happening! Our team started to pair up in groups and go around the pits. We met a lot of teams that day. This was really the first day of the competition. Later on, teams started to go for judging. We were one of the last teams to go. We gave it our best and felt it was our best presentation yet. And at the end of the day, the official opening of the FTC championship happened and matches started. It was so amazing to watch the robots at this level. Our scouting team really had a challenge to figure out what was going on when there was so much happening of the fields. Again, we went to dinner and got ready for another amazing day. On the third day, it was just matches matches matches. Our robot had highs and lows but overall we were happy with Gandalf's performance. Sadly, because we were the last batch of teams in the judging section, we were not advanced for pit judging. It was upsetting, but that didn't mean we wouldn't do well in the robot segment. We talked a lot with other teams and had a lot of fun as well this day. The fourth day of the competition, we were about halfway through robot matches. Gandalf had a good that on the 27th and so did we! Later in the day, we headed over to the dome for the official FIRST opening ceremonies (a bit late if you ask me!). It was a ton of fun. Right before, we had the opportunity of watching some FRC matches. Again dinner then bed. The next day, we finished up the rest of the qualifying matches and started with the finals. We were so happy when we made it into the finals. We gave it our best but did loose a formidable team Bobots who are our good friends. We then just relaxed and watched matches for the rest of the day. In the evening, we went over to the Opera House for the FTC awards ceremony, it was in one word amazing. We had a blast there and met the superstar of FIRST Woodie Flowers there. After that, we had dinner as a team and went back to the hotel. We had a great final day, watched the final matches (YAY, BOBOTS WON!) and headed over to the dome for the closing ceremonies. It was super fun and we got signatures from Woodie Flowers! We were so thankful for the opportunity to come to St. Louis for Worlds and had the time of our lives.
East Super Regional Championship - March 2017
Description;
The East Super Regional Championship spanned over three days (Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 19). On the first day, the team joined together at the hotel we were staying at and talked and planed what we were to do for the competition. We were all super excited! When we reached the venue, we settled into the pit, unpacked our stuff, and went out for judging. When we came back, we set up our AMAZING pit and made it look beautiful. The rest of the day, we talked to people that came to our pit, and we went pit scouting. For dinner, the team had booked over the whole "A Little Pizza Palace" for us, Mechanical Paradox, and Cubix to have a yummy dinner! We talked and had a great time with our own team, and the other two as well! When we got back to the hotel, the team and the coach discussed what went well and what didn't that day and how we could improve the next day. And golly we did! Ehem, excuse my strange vocabulary! We had selected our three best speakers to be in the pit at all times and they were on fire! Talking to all the judges making sure they didn't leave out anything we did during the season. I mean at one time, they were six judges in our pit! We had such a great time that day. For scouting, the scouting team was alway watching the fields, and we had a great system in place. Gandalf had a shaky start but did great later on. The next day, we were picked by team 8521 the 4H Hard Hitting Hardware Hooligans, along with their first pick, team 4029 2 bits in a byte. We played it our best in finals and made it up to Tesla's semi-finals. In the awards ceremony, to our surprise, we received second place inspire! The whole team was so grateful and we hope to do just as well, or even better at the World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri!
The East Super Regional Championship spanned over three days (Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 19). On the first day, the team joined together at the hotel we were staying at and talked and planed what we were to do for the competition. We were all super excited! When we reached the venue, we settled into the pit, unpacked our stuff, and went out for judging. When we came back, we set up our AMAZING pit and made it look beautiful. The rest of the day, we talked to people that came to our pit, and we went pit scouting. For dinner, the team had booked over the whole "A Little Pizza Palace" for us, Mechanical Paradox, and Cubix to have a yummy dinner! We talked and had a great time with our own team, and the other two as well! When we got back to the hotel, the team and the coach discussed what went well and what didn't that day and how we could improve the next day. And golly we did! Ehem, excuse my strange vocabulary! We had selected our three best speakers to be in the pit at all times and they were on fire! Talking to all the judges making sure they didn't leave out anything we did during the season. I mean at one time, they were six judges in our pit! We had such a great time that day. For scouting, the scouting team was alway watching the fields, and we had a great system in place. Gandalf had a shaky start but did great later on. The next day, we were picked by team 8521 the 4H Hard Hitting Hardware Hooligans, along with their first pick, team 4029 2 bits in a byte. We played it our best in finals and made it up to Tesla's semi-finals. In the awards ceremony, to our surprise, we received second place inspire! The whole team was so grateful and we hope to do just as well, or even better at the World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri!
Maryland State Championship - February 2017
Description:
At the Maryland State Championships, we had a great time. To start of, this competition was less stressful than Delaware because there was no need to HAVE to advance from Maryland. This was a good event to get ready to practice for East Super Regionals. We had a great time and everyone tried to work out our kinks to be prepared for Super East. But, the most important thing is we had a lot of fun at the event and gave it our best. We also opened our eyes to some problems that should be addressed before Super East. Basically this was a giant have FUN event and preparation event, it was really helpful. But, one thing for sure is that we need to do better for East Super Regionals. At the event, we won the Connect Award and were nominated for the Think and Motivate Award. Our Compass Award video for our coach, Pankaj Oberoi, was also nominated.
At the Maryland State Championships, we had a great time. To start of, this competition was less stressful than Delaware because there was no need to HAVE to advance from Maryland. This was a good event to get ready to practice for East Super Regionals. We had a great time and everyone tried to work out our kinks to be prepared for Super East. But, the most important thing is we had a lot of fun at the event and gave it our best. We also opened our eyes to some problems that should be addressed before Super East. Basically this was a giant have FUN event and preparation event, it was really helpful. But, one thing for sure is that we need to do better for East Super Regionals. At the event, we won the Connect Award and were nominated for the Think and Motivate Award. Our Compass Award video for our coach, Pankaj Oberoi, was also nominated.
Delaware State Championship - February 2017
At the Delaware State Championship, our team did our best starting from the beginning. When we got to the event, we set up our pit in a heartbeat. Next, we did a dry run of our presentation and went into judging. Our team worked well and efficiently while scouting both the pits and matches. We also helped the team ITSAR Boys and Girls Club whose robot wasn't working and helped them get it up and running. One of our team members even was their drive team coach because they only had two members. We did well in the robot game, and were the captain of the finalist alliance. We had a good final with one match for us and two matches for our opponents. They served as a great opponent and we congratulated them on a job well done. But, to our surprise, we won the Inspire award and moved on to East Super Regionals. We are very honored and had to pinch ourselves to make sure we weren't dreaming about winning Inspire and Delaware, and advancing to the East Super Regionals. We were also nominated for the Control, Motivate, PTC Design, Connect and Think Awards, and were the captain of the finalist alliance.
Sidwell Friends School D.C. Qualifier - December 2016
Description:
At the Sidwell Friends School Qualifier in Washington D.C. we had a great experience. For many of our members, it was our first FTC competition ever because most of us were not able to go to our Pittsburg Qualifier. When we got to the competition, we set up our pit. It was a decent pit setup. It had a good tri-fold, a photo album to show our journey, and a cool Spanish speaking wizard toy! First, we had our judging which went amazing. We were able to jump obstacles for example, one of our team member's phone started to ring, but we sailed right past it without hesitation. We met quickly after to prepare for scouting and interacted a lot with other teams. For our robot, we had a few major problems. But that didn't keeps us from doing well in the finals and last qualifying matches. Overall, we had a great competition, and we advanced to the Maryland State Championship! Check out the photos and descriptions of that too! In addition to winning Second Place Inspire Award, we also were nominated for the Motivate, PTC Design, Innovate, Connect and Think Awards, and were a member of the finalist alliance.
At the Sidwell Friends School Qualifier in Washington D.C. we had a great experience. For many of our members, it was our first FTC competition ever because most of us were not able to go to our Pittsburg Qualifier. When we got to the competition, we set up our pit. It was a decent pit setup. It had a good tri-fold, a photo album to show our journey, and a cool Spanish speaking wizard toy! First, we had our judging which went amazing. We were able to jump obstacles for example, one of our team member's phone started to ring, but we sailed right past it without hesitation. We met quickly after to prepare for scouting and interacted a lot with other teams. For our robot, we had a few major problems. But that didn't keeps us from doing well in the finals and last qualifying matches. Overall, we had a great competition, and we advanced to the Maryland State Championship! Check out the photos and descriptions of that too! In addition to winning Second Place Inspire Award, we also were nominated for the Motivate, PTC Design, Innovate, Connect and Think Awards, and were a member of the finalist alliance.
Pittsburgh Qualifier -December 2016
We had a fun, educational and awesomely robot-filled time at the Pittsburgh qualifier due to the teams, volunteers and judges with whom we had the opportunity to interact. The hard work of everyone, be it teams or volunteers, was apparent in every aspect of the qualifier, and we are enormously thankful to all who were involved, especially the volunteers who offer their time and hard work from the goodness of their heart. We began the day by setting up our pit and ensuring our robot met all of the game restraints. As the drive team practiced and made some final adjustments to the robot, the rest of the team interacted with other teams by scouting or interacting with other team’s scouts at our pit. After the opening ceremony, the matches began. It was nerve-wracking to be in the first match, and we lost this match due to an inadvertent penalty, when our robot missed the white tape in front of the beacon and just kept rolling onto the opposing alliance’s side of the field. Our other matches went more successfully, and we ended up as the third alliance captain for the semifinals. After winning our first semifinal match and losing our second, we lost the very suspenseful third semifinal match. We were really pleased at making it as far as we did and are very thankful to our awesome alliance partner, team 11210, Infinity Robotechs. We were also incredibly grateful to win the Think Award and the second place Inspire Award. We think that all the teams who won awards were extremely deserving. Altogether, it was a really fun and fulfilling day.