First Day of Competition

Today started with an early wake-up. Part of the team got ready and headed straight to Taft High School to prepare robot components for assembly. The rest joined shortly after, and together we made our way to the arena where the competition was being held. The arena was full of various robotics teams, each with their own pit. Our pit was not as fully equipped as others, which had tables, chairs, cabinets, and plenty of tools. After getting settled, we began the final assembly of the robot, which had been disassembled for travel.

The assembly process was long and exhausting, but fortunately all teams were very supportive and willing to help. They adjusted their spaces to give our Crobotics team more room and even lent us tools that we couldn’t bring due to the long journey.

Once the assembly was finally complete, it was time for inspection.

During inspection, the robot’s weight was checked, its dimensions were measured, and the bumpers and all electronics were inspected.

The inspection went smoothly, and it was finally time for practice matches. Unfortunately, we missed the first practice match due to the inspection and lengthy assembly process.

In the second practice match, we encountered some issues with the shooter (the part of the robot that launches balls), which was not properly secured and eventually detached from the robot. We had high hopes for the third practice match, but another surprise occurred — our bumper broke. Due to this damage, we were unable to participate in the final match. After a long and exhausting day in the arena, we headed back to the hotel, but on the way we were met with yet another unexpected surprise — heavy rain. Tired and soaked, we carried the broken bumper back to the hotel so we could repair it for the qualification matches the next day.

After arriving, we showered, changed, and prepared for dinner at one of the well-known restaurant chains in America — Hooters.

Although this day was full of hard work, challenges, and setbacks, it allowed us to fix and improve all aspects of the robot that needed refinement before the official matches in the coming days.

Your Crobotics team!