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News - The N.E.R.D.S. are going to Atlanta!

General News
Posted by () on Sun Mar 22, 2009 at 3:28 pm
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Team 1726 has had a great season so far!  After shipping Major Tom to the Los Angeles Regional at the end of build season, the team prepared for competition by assembling a collection of spare parts and preparing for the long drive ahead.  The team was ready to compete!

On March 12-14, the NERDS travelled to Los Angeles for their first competition of the year.  During qualifications, the team seeded 4th out of 60 teams with a win-loss record of 6 and 1.  During eliminations, our team selected Team 330, the Beachbots, and Team 980, the Thunderbots to compete with us for the rest of the tournament.  After a strong showing in the quarter finals, our alliance was knocked out by the number 2 seeded alliance, consisting of Teams 1717, 597, and 294.

Even though we didn't make it to the finals, we had a great time and a very strong showing.  The team even won Delphi's Driving Tomorrow's Technology Award for its innovative helical hopper and use of materials.  After the competition, the team went to Six Flags Magic Mountain to enjoy a day of recreation after the tough tournament.  We knew that we were ready for Phoenix, and that we would surely have a strong showing at our next regional competition.

A week later, Team 1726 travelled up to Phoenix with high hopes and spirits.  With blue towels, a banner, flag, pool noodles, giant numbers, and blue hair spray, the team was ready to have a great time at the competition.  On Thursday morning, the team uncrated Major Tom, still ready to put on a top-notch performance.  During practice, the stands roared as Major Tom showed off its scoring system on the field.  At the end of the day, the team was surprised to know that astronaut and emcee Mark Leon was staying at the same hotel.  Mark even ate dinner with the team that night!

The next day was qualification day.  The NERDS had 7 rounds of competition, with some tough upcoming matches, including one against last year's champion, Team 39.  However, the team persisted throughout the day and performed very well.  In fact, the team won every one of its matches, seeding 1st out of 44 teams!  On Friday, the team also won two more qualification matches and was placed 1st overall, being the first team to pick its partners for the elimination tournamant.  After much deliberation, the team decided to pick Teams 39 and 1165, both having strong, reliable machines.

The elimination tournament was very exciting.  The quarterfinals were nerve wracking, as the team lost its first match of the tournament to Team 842 of Carl Hayden High School.  However, the NERDS pushed through and won the next two matches, advancing to the semi-finals.  After two more tough matches, Team 1726 entered the finals and faced the number 3 seeded alliance, headed by Team 2102 (Team Paradox), a highly enthusiastic and spirited team from San Diego.  Even during the finals, the NERDS and Team Paradox cheered with each other, wishing each other the best of luck.  During the final match, both teams stood waiting as the scoreboard showed a tied score.  After the final tally, Team 1726 pulled through with a win, 74 to 72!  The NERDS were the Arizona Regional Champion!

The team also won two other awards at the Arizona Regional.  Team 1726 received the Motorola Quality Award for its reliable machine and combination of unique materials, including wood, ABS, and aluminum.  The other award we received was the Autodesk Visualization Award for the team's animation achievements.  Overall, the team performed extraordinarily well, and the competition was incredibly thrilling and exciting!  We are now qualified to attend the FIRST Championship in Atlanta to compete with other top teams from around the world.  We hope to do well, and we continue to have high hopes for the competition ahead!

We will be competing in the FIRST Championship from April 16-18.  Stay tuned for the team's progress until then!  Also, check out our photo gallery for competition photos from the AZ and LA competitions.

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