NYAN won all 9 matches and was the only undefeated team at the whole event (out of 72 teams), and was #1 going into the semi-finals,
and so was #1 captain entering finals. And then won the semi-finals, and first final, then lost barely, on a fluke, and was bumped out.
Having finished #1, having made the finals, and having won the coveted Control Award (each qualifying us)...
We advance to the World Championship
Several teams here were in the World top 10 teams (out of 5000), including the top team in the World (BrainStem),
who NYAN was able to pick for the finals since NYAN in 1st place.
NYAN continues to be in the top 1% of the World teams.
NYAN put up its highest scores this season in the finals, 653, and 618. Those scores
are currently ranked #2 and #5 in the world going into this tournament.
Wow!
Unexpectedly: 1.) Like at State Championship, our division was stacked again, and this was widely understood.
Three of the worlds top teams were not only at this competition, but in our division.
Our undefeated record was especially meaningful!
2.) Matches were tough. Teams were scoring higher than anticipated.
3.) We won the Control Award, even amongst this tough group (out of 75 teams!). And many of the other
top teams we know well got none (Dynamic Signals, Fruit Salad, Golden Ratio, etc.). Kudos to Allen and all those who helped test and strategize on autonomous.
4.) We had judges in our booth all day, and so we were a contender for several awards.It was crazy, sometimes 3 judges for almost half hour.
The team members were on full alert conveying everything they could!
5.) Our presentation was very good, but oddly, when Tommy was discussing our AR/VR apps/game
that we use to inspire youth, the guy didn't want to see it and actually said "once you have seen one, you have seen them all", and thought that wasn't very original nor wanted to see it.
Our team was so stunned, they didn't refute this (its sooo not true)... rather just gazed in disbelief. The guy was actually harsh
around the edges on a few things, and they were not prepared to debate him.
6.) In the finals, the top team in the world, who was our partner cost our alliance the final match (and maybe the championship) when they were so fast they
deposited the relic 5 seconds to soon (if done before 30 seconds left, it doesn't score). This was an odd fluke that cost winning the finals.
Drive Team
Special thanks to Allen, Brendan, and Ricky,with nerves of steel, who had an extremely mentally
and physically challenging several days. O-M-G. There were 9 matches before finals! At the end of Friday, they
were exhausted and didn't know which end was up.
Even with that, they pulled off a flawless performance all day, and the next day.
Alumni Thanks to the alumni attending: Kevin, Danny, Eric, Zach, and Jake. Who came back from college to support the team,
and were there several days from their spring breaks. We are so gratefule for their continued support,
enthuisiams and help. In particualr Kevin and Zach significantly helped in scouting, planning, and strategizing.
All was very useful. Kevin also arranged for the after-party that made us somewhat notorious.He also significantlyu strategized with the team.
Parents Thanks to the parents attending. It was so nice of you to support the team and support your sons.
And so many of you helped so significantly, which greatly helped us concentrate on the competition.
Ms. Fix deserves an extra shout-out for tracking down some cables we needed, insisting she get them,
She and other parents also arranged for food (thanks!) several times and helped in other admin tasks, making our lives easier!
Special thanks to Jeff Coda for loaning the booth since ours is out on the road, and for the suite use... that was cool,
both perfectly suited for the teams needs, and kept us with a heavy footprint at the event.
Matches
9-0 Undefeated... only team... wow
Match 1: 457 (to 402)
Match 2: 583 (to 417)... wow
Match 3: 494 (to 316)... wow
Match 4: 533 (to 506)... wow
Match 5: 532 (to 162)... wow
Match 6: 422 (to 253)
Match 7: 391 (to 188)
Match 8: 367 (to 244)
Match 9: 364 (to 92)
Wow!
NYAN finished #1 and was undefeated (the only team from either division), and so made the finals and was the #1 captain
Finals
- won semi-finals
- won the first final, lost second, and lost 3rd in a fluke, and then was done
Match SF1: 583 (to 544)... wow
Match F1: 653 (to 518)... wow
Match F2: 618 (to 638)... wow
That last match was our first loss for the day! It would have been a world record (and we would have won) if our partner
did not accidentally place the relic too soon (3-4 seconds too soon, so we lost the associated 55 points)