Team 48 continued into its third year of classes to teach the new students the skills that they will need for the build and competition season while renewing the returning veteran's minds on this process. During the 2006 season we've had our advantages and disadvantages, as most of the teams have, but because of the time in the classes and the ability, during those classes, for us to get to know one another we were able to stay and work as a team through anything put in front of us.
For the last nine years our team has met in the school library for the kickoff. On this particular Saturday morning the long wait for the new game for the 2006 season was finally about to be announced. When the game "Aim High" was finally announced, many different conversations began throughout the room as everyone was whispering to someone else of their ideas. After speaking to some of the team members, the experienced veterans as well as some of the newer people on the team that were not as experienced, there was one common feeling throughout the team that was quickly spreading - excitement. Ideas were running through everyone's mind and concepts were being discussed in every corner of the room.
So far the team has been doing well. At the end of the qualifying matches, Team 48 achieved a 5-3 record and placed 14th of 63. Although they weren't picked for finals and no awards have been won yet, Team 48 has high hopes going into the awards ceremony tonight. All of us at home would like to commend the drive team on a job well done. The drive team is completely new this year and as for the rookies, they have done very well. We are all anxiously waiting to here good news at the end of today.
The Buckeye Regional always tends to be a special event for Team 48, and this year was no exception. Our expectations as a team were set high. As the days of the regional went by, Team 48 exceeded those expectations. Xtremachen9 did exceptionally well in competition and Team 48 was proud. It played very well defensively and offensively. At the end of the regional, Team 48 ranked 10th out of 43 teams. We were picked by Team 1509 to move onto finals. Unfortunately, we were eliminated in the quarter finals. Friday prepared Team 48 for what was to come on Saturday. Saturday, Team 48 proudly took home the Motorola Quality Award, Safety Award, and for the second year in a row, the Buckeye Regional Chairman's Award. Our emotions were overflowing that evening, we were able to appreciate all of our hard work. We are very proud of the accomplishments made at the Buckeye Regional and now we look forward to raising the expectations for the Greater Toronto Regional.
Delphi E.L.I.T.E. went to Toronto, Canada on the week of March 29th. We got there a day early to see Niagara Falls, and then we went to Clifton Hill to shop, play in the arcades, and eat. We stayed at the Delta West Hotel, which was about ten minutes from the Hershey Center where the competition was held. During opening ceremonies on Friday and Saturday, five of the young ladies from Team 48 sang the Canadian, American, and British national anthems. Our cheering section was boisterous, coming to life when the announcer called for Team 48. Teams were rated by their performance on the field, their driving ability, and their ability to work with other teams. Because of this, some alterations were made to our scouting strategies. By the time our next match came around, it was easier for the coaches and drivers to point out what was needed to be done in the upcoming matches. Overall we placed 11th out of 74 teams in the qualifying matches. We were chosen by Team 1035 for an alliance, which was rounded out by Team 772, for the competition on Saturday. After beating the 9th seeded alliance, we went up against alliance number one, and we were eliminated. We'd like to thank our alliance members for helping us reach the quarterfinals. Next comes Nationals!! :)
The first day of competition was intense; everyone was waiting for our robot to perform on the field. The beginning went slow, but as the day progressed, the combined effort of our alliance resulted with the highest score of the day, 136. The second day of competition, the intensity was escalating. Many of our teammates were in the stands watching the robot showing off its skills. Finally, the championship round had arrived. We were the 37th seed. Our allies, Team 1114, brought us along with them to the first seed in playoffs. Knowing that our teammates were skilled offensively, we took off our shooter and found our true calling, defense. We were successful in defense, bringing cheers and encouragement from the alliance. We got all the way to the Curie field finals, and then we were defeated. Our alliance received the silver medal, but our team was still overjoyed. After receiving our medals, we watched the finals and the awards laughing and cheering. We were ecstatic to find out that Google will make F.I.R.S.T robotics the number one entry on their web results page. At the end of competition on Saturday, we went to a celebration sponsored by F.I.R.S.T. in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park.
All in all it was a very successful year consisting of a number of achievements. We received a regional Chairmans Award at the Buckeye Regional, two Safety Awards, and a National Curie Division Silver medal. Even though we only made it to the finals in our division, Delphi E.L.I.T.E. was the highest ranked Delphi Team, and because of that, we were awarded the Delphi Golden Gear award.
Aim High is played on a field as illustrated in the figure below. Two alliances, one red and one blue, composed of three teams each, compete in each match. The object of the game is to obtain a higher score than your opponent alliance by scoring balls in the center or corner goal, and/or by having robots on your platform or ramp at the end of the match.
