IRI 2013: Return to Indianapolis
The Indiana Robotics Invitational, IRI ,welcomed 69 world class teams to participate in the 2013 FIRST competition, Ultimate Ascent. IRI’s game however, tweaked rules and regulations to add a measure of excitement. Nemesis, FRC Team 2590, was Robbinsville, NJ’s contribution to the event. The team packed their bags, and headed out at 6:00 am, enduring a 12 hour car ride to Indianapolis. Upon their arrival, members unpacked Athena and organized the 8 square foot pit that would become their home away from home over the next two days. Within that square, team members would operate on the robot, sometimes calmly, while other times scrambling frantically. The long day ended in the hotel with the smell of local pizza and the sound of anxious chatter.
The sun rose and the first day of qualifications was up them. That morning, the lobby of the hotel, packed with robotics kids from all over the country (and Canada), buzzed with excitement. Everyone eagerly awaited the start of the long day of 104 matches ahead. Despite their tough schedule, Nemesis was confident of victory. IRI was advertised as a competition featuring the “Best of the Best”. It was amazing to see some of the best robots in the world playing on the same field. With the outstanding caliber of the competition, most alliances scored in the triple digits and many scored over 200 points. With their 7 disk autonomous routine and precision scoring, Nemesis showed that it belonged among the august group. To become more versatile, 2590’s software architect, Antonio Papa, wrote a midline autonomous routine, a different spin on the strictly 7 discs under the pyramid routine used all season. This new program was implemented several times throughout the day with great results. Aside from some minor fix ups, the day ran smoothly. Athena suffered no major catastrophes or serious damages. Led by Stephanie Kovacs, Team 2590 participated in a group scouting, run by Team 20. Thanks to FRC Team 20, Nemesis members took short shifts and had the privilege of participating in a large scouting program. In the last match of the day, Nemesis’s alliance scored a competition high of 254 points, winning 254-129. By the end of the first day of qualifications, drive team members Josh Falk and Antonio Papa had guided Nemesis into 12th place with a record of 4-2. Nemesis celebrated the conclusion of the day one with a Mexican dinner, and a long discussion regarding scouting results and strategy.
The third day in Indiana brought the qualification matches to a close. Nemesis ended with a record of 5-4 and a final ranking of 23rd out of the 69 teams. During alliance selection, Nemesis was selected as the third robot to join third seed alliance captains, Team 469, Las Guerrillas, and their first round pick, Team 118, the Robonauts. 3847 - Spectrum was the fourth alliance partner. Due to the opponent's full court shooter, the first elimination round was played by 3847 because of their defensive abilities. The alliance acquired a win but Las Guerrillas, 469, was broken and could not play in the next round. 2590 stepped in and played the second match. Unfortunately, this match did not go well for team Nemesis. Halfway through the match Nemesis collided with Team 1477 and the resulting impact disabled both robots. With Nemesis down, the third alliance lacked sufficient firepower to overcome their adversaries. With one win on both sides the fate of the third alliance rested on the tiebreaker, but with two damaged robots, the outlook was grim. 469 went back on the field in an attempt to recreate their previous victory. Alas, their efforts were in vain. At the conclusion of the tiebreaker, the third seed alliance was no longer in the running to win IRI. Despite the loss, the members of Nemesis watched on, excited to see the winning alliance. The day came to a close. The first seed alliance took the title of IRI champions.
Despite the unending efforts from the team, Nemesis was not able to secure a win at IRI. However, they were not without success. 2590 went home as the only team to represent the Mid-Atlantic Region in the elimination rounds at the Indiana Robotics Invitational. The trip gave the students a chance to work together and improve Athena even when competition season was not in session. Representing Robbinsville, a little town in New Jersey, Nemesis partook in one of the fiercest, most competitive, FIRST Robotics competitions the world had to offer.