Last weekend, the Scalawags competed in a full tournament for the first time since March of 2019. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and the most fun anyone here has had in a long time! The team took a robot they had barely finished (less than 30 minutes of drive time before we left) and turned in some great results. They were out in the quarterfinals, but had scraped their way to captains of the 8th seeded alliance.
Amelia E. Flowers (named for the pilot Amelia Earhart and FIRST founder Woodie Flowers) is a lean, mean, ball shooting machine. She weighs only 95#, but she’s all muscle and grace. Our drive team got comfortable with her quickly and found that she shoots well, and she climbs every time they ask her to. Like any event, there were challenges – broken brackets, controller connection issues, and complete exhaustion – but the team pulled together and supported one another in amazing fashion. Most of the crew had never been to competition before; they figured it out quickly, and made their mentors proud.
In addition to their fine showing on the field, the team was thrilled to receive an Imagery Award. Rapid React was a tricky game to tie to our pirate theme, but the art team really focused on the idea of transportation and moving cargo. They made custom safety vests with our logo, and created a logo for their very own shipping company: FedX marks the spot. The pit was filled with custom cargo and our signature skeleton, Slim.
Our 2022 debut has left us in good shape to qualify for the District Championship in Cheney, WA. Already this week, crew members have been out talking to local sponsors, asking for pledged funds, should we earn a spot in the top 50 teams. If you are interested in helping the team get to Cheney, please contact us at frcteam1359@gmail.com
