Friday, April 27, 2018



WE'VE GOT GREAT NEWS TO REPORT FROM HOUSTON! ! 
#7750 Mechanical Maniacs from Sutherlin, Oregon WON the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship as the Winning Alliance Captains after going undefeated in qualification matches!

Our ten FIRST Tech Challenge teams who competed at World did very well. Although I (Cathy Swider) didn't travel to Houston, I watched about 85% of the qualification matches during the event via live stream and 100% of the elimination rounds and the awards.
A few reflections (maybe somewhat biased but I'm among friends):

  • To view the FIRST World Championship page on the ORTOP website - click here 
  • Overall our Oregon teams competed very well. In most matches, the Oregon teams appeared to be the stronger in alliances. Losses usually came when mechanical failures occurred, or when paired with teams who were not nearly as strong and the opposing alliance bested them. 
  • Perseverance - There is NO QUIT in OREGON. Oregon teams came back and played as hard and strong as they could when adversity struck or a drop in the rankings happened. 
    • A special shoutout to Bytes of KitKats who in their last qualification match #129 had their alliance partner tip over, KitKats pushed them to right the robot and in the process have their own robot tip. They did not give up and mid-match somehow, someway the KitKat robot tipped back up, unaided, and started to score. They did not quit. Even with all of the lost time, they lost the match by only one point 367-366 against two of the stronger ranked teams.  "Most dramatic match of the event" - Nick Hammes, emcee 
  • Oregon had 4 teams in the elimination round. 
    • Franklin Division: #1 Alliance- Mechanical Maniacs - Alliance. Cap and #3 Alliance Overcharged - Alliance Cap. It was very hard for me  to watch our Oregon teams compete against each other in the Franklin Division Finals. 
    • Jemison Division - #3 Alliance #12808- ReVamped Robotics - 1st pick and #4 Alliance #11089 Bytes of KitKats.  Lost their battle in semi-finals. 
  • Dean's List! Our 4 Dean's List Finalists -Gordon Dauterman, TNT, Advaith Nair, Overcharged, James Shea, Jury Riggers. Aliris Tang, Gifted Gears along with Shishir (for FRC but is also on FTC ReVamped Robotics) attended the Dean's List luncheon. Although none of them were named as a Dean's List winner, they were treated to remarks given by will.i.am and had their photos taken with Dean Kamen. 
  • Awards! 

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What's up NEXT! 

https://clips.twitch.tv/DelightfulRelatedGoldfishUncleNox

I am so excited. We are going into SPACE! Everyone! FLLJr., FLL, FTC, FRC. Space! 

ROVER RUCKUS is our FTC game. Let the guessing begin!!
Is there a game hint in the teaser video? 
Brief timeline:
National Registration opens early May
Game Reveal / Kick off - Sept 8

Also starting with this season, we will be referring to it as the 2019 season to reflect the year when our season ends.  Just skipping over 2018.  It's like a time space continuum thing. No worries.  
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PARTY TIME!!! ROBOT REVOLUTION  @OMSI! 

Save the date! We're working with OMSI in Portland to have an exclusive FIRST night at the museum, including the Robot Revolution exhibit! Mark your calendars for June 4th! Details to follow.  All FIRST Teams and volunteers in Oregon are invited. Online Registration will be required-- setting it up in early May.  I saw the exhibit last week. It is AMAZING!

In connection with the Robot Revolution exhibit, ORTOP has been asked to contribute to an add-on special event on June 16th and 17th. We'll be looking for teams to be at our table and demo a bot and talk to the public about being involved in FIRST. Will be setting up shifts.  Interested? email Cathy Swider.

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More next week about FTC Registration, Team Support Award Applications and getting input on the future of FIRST Tech Challenge in Oregon.

Regards,
Cathy Swider
FIRST Tech Challenge Oregon Affiliate Partner