Nemesis Caps off a Triumphant Season at Brunswick Eruption

There was certainly no excitement spared today as Nemesis’s Fury participated in its final event of the year. Hosted by Raider Robotix at North Brunswick High School with over forty-two teams gathered from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, it provided a competitive atmosphere as teams competed for the penultimate off-season event of the year. Scouts watched diligently throughout each match, carefully jotting down notes and comments on every robot competing, aware of how decisive scouting is and how large a role it plays during alliance selections. After Nemesis finished the 18th edition of Ramp Riot as finalists last week, the team was fired up and ready to cap the season off with a top podium finish at Brunswick Eruption.

Through tough qualification rounds Nemesis rose from being ranked 23rd to ranked 3rd over the course of one match before finally finishing as the fourth seed. During alliance selection Nemesis was offered a spot alongside second seed FRC 271, Mechanical Marauders, but respectfully declined the offer. During the duration of the serpentine draft, Nemesis invited teams FRC 1089, Team Mercury, and FRC 5421, Birch Bots, to join their alliance. Nemesis’s alliance won through a third game tiebreaker against the fifth seed alliance; teams FRC 5599, The Sentinels, FRC 395, 2 Train Robots, and FRC 2601, Steel Hawks.

Unfortunately, Nemesis exited the tournament after a narrow defeat to the first seed alliance. With Brunswick Eruption marking the end of the 2018 competition season for Nemesis, many of the returning members reflected on what was one of the team’s most successful years in history. “In the end it’s all about teamwork and we worked the best we can and no matter the outcome. It’s not whether or why we lost it’s a matter of how we banded together as a family and that’s what FIRST is all about” said Harsh Padhye the Chief of Software.

Brunswick Eruption and Ramp Riot, however, were more than just the robots and accolades. These past two events also saw Nemesis try out candidates for the upcoming season’s drive team. With both drivers, Alex Keller and Nolan Quon, performing phenomenally throughout the qualification and elimination rounds it was unfortunate that Nemesis was unable to bring home the top prize in the past weeks. It was also during these events that seniors Richa Mandrekar, Chinmay Savanur, and Rahul Sawant were given the opportunity to try their hand at drive coaching. In addition, notable alumni such as Dahany Choi and Connor Hofenbitzer came out and showed their support for the team and demonstrated how once you’re a Nemesis team member, you’re always a Nemesis team member. The brand new leadership team felt more confident having alumni enthusiastically around the stands and pits, advising the new drive team, as well as pitching in during the strategy meetings.

What’s important to gather from these off-season events isn’t necessarily the competition results. It is about how the new members are transitioning into their new roles on the team. As Mr. Wolfe, team advisor, describes it, “We have participated in the most off-season events since the inception of the team; Brunswick Eruption, Ramp Riot, Midnight Mayhem, winning Girl Power and Havoc respectively, following on the heels of an awesome season. The high level point of that was that it allowed a large amount of underclassmen the opportunity to be on the drive team. The whole point of the off-season is to have fun and try out for the drive team.”

The drive team isn’t the only area of the team that seems to be thriving this year; the new pit team is assimilating remarkably well. “The newer people have been responding amazingly. We had a couple of tight spots these past few weeks and the team rose to the occasion and got it done. Especially last week was particularly tough with the smaller 4x8 pit with little space and they adapted well”, according to mentor Dr. Keller.

As the door closes on a historic season for Nemesis another door full of opportunities opens wide. With so much potential and a new team brimming with talent, only the sky's the limit for this new 2019 Nemesis team.

Nemesis would like to thank their sponsors: Navair, Robbinsville High School, Picatinny Arsenal, Lockheed Martin, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Investors Foundation, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Robbinsville Education Association, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, EAG Laboratories, DesignTree, CCC, Gilbane, Triangle Copy, SkyLink Technology, Inc., Coldwell Banker, and the family and friends of Nemesis.