Tech Breakdowns Trip Up Robotics Teams at Super Qualifier
With six seconds left on the clock, The Rolling Drones (Blue Alliance) steal points from Bötley Crüe’s Red Alliance to seal the match. Photo: Rachelle Zaltsman
By RACHELLE ZALTSMAN
After months of competition and rebuilding, Midwood's three sister robotics teams – The Rolling Drones, Pink Droyd, and Bötley Crüe – have ended their seasons. The Rolling Drones made it to the semifinals in the Super Qualifier FIRST Tech Challenge, but lost a close match against the opposing alliance.
Previously, the teams had an amazing qualifier meet on January 15, with all three winning different awards. The Rolling Drones won the whole competition; Pink Droyd made it to the finals and won the Think Award, awarded to the team that best reflected their engineering journey, as well as 3rd place for the Inspire Award, awarded to the team that is a role model to others both on and off the field; and Bötley Crüe won 2nd place for the Inspire Award. But the teams’ luck changed once they got to John Dewey for the Super Qualifier.
“The first round didn’t go as planned. We had a connectivity issue but then we fixed the issue and won in the second match,” said Jessica Yampolsky ‘23, the Rolling Drones’ builder. All three teams experienced technological challenges, with vital pieces not working in the middle of the match and bluetooth connections disconnecting.
There was a driver-controlled period, where the students guided their robot to put cones on different poles or specific spots on the field, as well as a 30 second period of autonomous movement, where the robot had to move without human assistance.
Co-captain of The Rolling Drones Adam Biali ‘23 said, “I felt very frustrated knowing that I couldn’t really do anything” during technical malfunctions, because of the rules. At these moments, viewers could feel the sadness in the air in the Midwood section of the bleachers.
However, Ms. Lisa Ali, the coach for all three teams, still felt “proud of what they got out of this experience: learning how to be on a team, working together and as individuals to accomplish their shared goals.”
Disappointments aside, there were also some really sweet moments. Team spirit started at a high point and ended at a high point. Kaitlyn Lee ‘23, a Pink Droyd member, crocheted a cute, pink bow for her whole team. Everyone was wearing it, either in their hair or on their team hoodies, even the boys.
Before the bad luck technological errors struck, Pink Droyd was in 2nd place out of 28. Captain Autumn Jones ‘23 said, “We had a bit of a dip because of technical issues. We troubleshooted and practiced and took a breather.”
In between the matches, all three teams attempted to troubleshoot their bots. “Things keep disconnecting, which is very annoying,” said Bötley Crüe Captain Sawyer Wizemann ‘23. However, her team’s autonomous code was working well from the start, which gained them a couple of extra points in each match they played.
Since the beginning of the competition, it was the drive teams who experienced the most nerves. “I’m stressed,” said Maida Kucevic ‘23 of Bötley Crüe. “I have to see how the robots are moving. I get nervous because I don’t want to make any penalties.” She also had to look out for both teams on the alliance when putting cones on the field.
Chloe Zhao ‘23, a driver for Pink Droyd, felt more collected. “I’m feeling confident and chill,” she said. “I just need to take the exact position so the cone won’t slip from the claw.”
The biggest and most suspense-filled moment came in the semifinals with the alliances tied 1-1. The Rolling Drones, who were on the Blue Alliance, were scoring and stealing points by putting their cones on top of their opponents’. But in the end it came down to speed: Who was going to be the first to cap (put their specially designed beacon on top of all the other cones so stealing points wouldn’t be allowed anymore)? Unfortunately, it was the Red Alliance, who ended up stealing a lot of The Rolling Drones’ points and costing them the game.
Ms. Ali highlighted the positives. “My teams were ready and brought their A game to the competition,” she said. “They left everything on the field.”
“Sadly, the complications they experienced were completely out of their control, but they remained gracious professionals throughout it all,” she added. “Each team member truly embodied the core values of FIRST Robotics and Midwood High School – showing what it means to be a Hornet.”