On February 28 and March 1, Team 1519, Mechanical Mayhem gathered at Nashua High South along with 38 other FIRST
Robotics high school teams to compete in the Granite State District Event. Both days promised a thrilling competition with a myriad of competitive and creatively constructed robots.
Equipped with a roller claw capable of harvesting balls from either side of the robot, Kaizen propelled its way into the finals with its high shooting accuracy. The robust 8-wheel drive-base proved strong yet maneuverable in skilled defense. In autonomous mode when robots operate via pre-programmed instructions, Kaizen wowed allies and opponents with its 40-point autonomous program which scored both its ball and a partner’s ball into the high goal within the ten-second period.
During alliance selection Saturday afternoon, the 2nd ranked team, “C.H.A.O.S.” (131) from Manchester, NH invited Mechanical Mayhem and “The Robotics Team” (1786) from Dublin, NH to join their alliance as they dove into the elimination matches. In four exciting matches, the alliance charged through the quarter-finals and semi-finals undefeated. Finally, the alliance faced the top seeded team “Entropy” (138) from Amherst, NH and their alliance partners, “Bobcat Robotics” (177) from South Windsor, CT and “Potential Energy” (3323) from Litchfield, NH in the finals. After three fast-paced matches, Mechanical Mayhem went home as Granite State District Finalists and winners of the Gracious Professionalism® Award.
As stated during the Awards Ceremony, the Gracious Professionalism award “celebrates outstanding sportsmanship and continuous gracious professionalism in the heat of competition, both on and off the playing field…. From code written for others to their smiles in the pits, [Mechanical Mayhem was] gracious and professional.”
Currently the team is tweaking and re-adjusting the robot, code, and award presentations in preparation for upcoming tournaments. These competitions include the Rhode Island District Event on March 20-22, and, if they qualify, the New England Championship in Boston on April 10-12.