Nemesis Turns the Volume Up as CRESCENDO Is Announced

        After a preseason of hard work, the FRC Kickoff has arrived, initiating the 2024 season! At the start of kickoff, the whole team watched as this year’s musical themed game, Crescendo, that was announced live on Twitch. The announcement made the team jump to the seventh octave. The game poses an interesting challenge, especially compared to games from previous years. Teams must have their robots be able to score rings called notes into multiple goal stations and hang on a chain in the center of their side of the field, known as the stage. The team members were astonished by this year's event and are more ready than ever to conquer this year’s challenge. The whole team plans to work harder, sleep less, and have as much fun as possible in the upcoming months. 
        Nemesis wasted no time in learning everything about the game. They pored over the game manual, trying to find as much information as possible. To reinforce this information, the team took a quiz made by the strategy subteam which incorporated information from the manual. 
        Next, the team started to strategize on how to maximize point scoring during the game. For the rest of the first day, the team was divided into groups to create an ordered list of tasks for the robot to accomplish. From shooting notes into the amp to climbing up the Stage, each team member had their own opinions on how to prioritize each task. Eventually, each group came to a consensus and reconvened to decide on a final list. Although considering all the varied ideas and opinions took longer than anticipated, the list of the team’s top priorities for scoring options was soon finalized.
      Kickoff wasn’t all work and no play, as the team took multiple breaks to cool off and have fun. Some team members played handball, others played basketball, and some took the opportunity to chill out and hang around. With multiple weeks of long hours in the lab to come, this was a reminder to our team members that hard work means nothing without a little fun.
       The excitement continued into Sunday with the team beginning to create prototype ideas, utilizing the list from the previous day. After a quick lunch break, the members moved on to sketching various possible designs for the robot, all unique to each member and their ideas. These concepts were then presented to the rest of the team to get opinions and constructive criticism. Finally, the team moved on to complete a closing list of which mechanisms to prototype. With that, day two came to an end.
      Overall, Nemesis’ 2024 kickoff was a great success. Despite the difficulties generated by Crescendo’s complicated game, the team managed to prepare effectively to  face the new challenge. The build team is testing their new prototypes, and the business team is preparing for future outreach events, including our upcoming Sponsor Night. Nemesis is ready to come into the spotlight and put on an unforgettable performance!