FRC World Championships
Thursday: Day 1
On Thursday, students were up bright and early, leaving for the Dome at 5:00. Students waited in line for the event center to open up, as getting to the stands first is very important for scouting. Students ran to the seats in the Archimedes division. They sat next to Team 987, The High Rollers, who we won the San Diego regional with. Practice matches continued throughout the day, and the Cheesy Poofs played one, which they won. Their first match was qualification match 16, which they lost 162-170. Part of the intake polycarb got stuck in carpet, and dangled below the 30 point level. If it hadn’t, Team 254 would have won 172-170, but the day goes on! Team 254 then went on to qualification match 24, which the they won 190-58, ironing out the kinks from the first match. They went on to match 34, and unfortunately lost 107-115.
After the matches concluded, the students walked to Joe-Bucks, a phenomenal BBQ joint near the hotel. There, they met Team 233’s mentor Mike D, who helped liven up the night. The students walked back to the hotel, where they relaxed in their rooms and went to bed early, as the next day they’d have to wake up early again.
Friday: Day 2
The students woke up around 4:30 and went off to wait for the stadium to open up. In line, they hung out with Team 233, Team 987, and a couple others. They got the same seats as the day before, right next to 987. The first match was another qualification one (#63). Team 254 won with 152 points compared to the 87 the opponents scored. Team 254 didn’t manage to cling to the 30 point level, but they still won. The next match was 79, which the teams won 164-77. The Cheesy Poofs hung at the 10 point level, as their teammates hung at the 30 point level. Match 91 followed, and resulted in another win, 172-152. Team 254 pulled off another 30 point hang this match. The final match of the day was match 102, which the team miraculously won 179-69. This match, one of The Cheesy Poof’s alliance partners didn’t function, so the Poofs won a 2v3 match. After the matches, the students made a quick trip home to change, and went out with Team 233, the Pink Team to a Chinese restaurant. There, they also met up with Team 1515 and 1717. The team had an all you can eat buffet, and had a great time.
Saturday: Day 3
Saturday, the Cheesy Poofs got an extra hour of sleep. They waited in line with Team 233 again, playing music and singing together. They got the same seats as before, but didn’t scout, as the decisions were figured out the day before. Team 254 had one qualification match left, which they unfortunately lost 109-157. This resulted in 5 wins and 3 losses, and a final rank of 24th out of 100. Team 254 was picked by Team 2468, and ended up having Team 11 as the final alliance partner. The team won their first Quarter Final match, scoring an all time high of 236-175. They went on to win the next quarter final, 220-206, pushing them forward to semi-finals. They lost their first semifinal 203-222, but spirits remained high. But unfortunately, Team 254 also lost their second semifinal match 216-266 and were eliminated.
The students then went on to the Einstein field to cheer on the winners of each division. They also helped continue the tradition of competitive paper airplane making. Afterwards, they packed up crates in the pit and returned to the hotel.
Sunday: Day 4
In the morning, Mike D. from Team 233 went room to room and woke up the team, singing and chanting students awake. Team members packed up their bags and went to the land prepared for the baseball game. They walked to the Cardinal’s stadium and watched the Cardinal’s vs. Pirates game. Then, Team 254 left for the airport and returned back to sunny San Jose, California.
Qualification Matches
- 5-3-0 Record in Qualifying with 18 Qualifying Points, Ranked 23 of 100 Teams
