Sunday, March 22. 2015
Mission: Infiltrate the Montreal Regional Competition and win the Chairman’s Award.
Mission accomplished.
It’s competitions like this one, with all of these amazing teams, that really reminds you what FIRST is all about. Yeah, we’re building robots, but we’re also building character, knowledge, and experience. Sure, we’re a robotics team, but we’re also a group of amazing students and mentors, and above all else: an incredible family. We might accidentally break a thing or two on the robot, but we will always be breaking down the barriers and stereotypes around us. We didn’t just win an award, we earned it (I’m hugging it as I write), and I couldn’t be more proud of our students (especially our Chairman’s presenters: Amal, KT, and Philippe).
We ended the Qualification Matches in 7th place, which was a huge step up from ranking in the low 40s the morning before (Go pit crew! Zack, McKenna, Geoff, Carolyn, Hannah, and Alyssa did an amazing job of fixing up the robot). The 3rd highest ranked team asked us to join their alliance, making us the 2nd ranked alliance. We lost in the Quarter Finals, but kudos to our drive team (Chris, Elliot, Manual, and Amal) for putting on such a great performance. Not just any robot or drive team can get themselves into a position for forming an alliance.
I couldn’t be more proud of such an amazing team. You guys are so fantastic that it’s incredibly difficult to find just the right words to express it. But I guess there really is no perfect way to put it, that’s how great you all are. I know I could do my best to try to and word how I feel, but it would make me feel guilty for not being able to truly represent the tenacity and thunderous chutzpah of this team. Maybe being so blown away that I’m left speechless is actually a good way to show what it’s like to be surrounded by these amazing students. But I promise you, there is no group of people that I’d rather be around than FIRST Team 1511 Rolling Thunder. They are my friends, my family, and some of the greatest, most admirable human beings I have ever met.
So thanks guys, for being so incredible!
End log.
Blogger Katie
