Lenape Champions, Chairman's Award and Website Award Winners

THE MESSENGER-PRESS

ROBBINSVLLE — It was a banner weekend for the Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team 2590, Nemesis, which won the Lenape District qualifier and prestigious Chairman's Award, as well as an award for its student-managed website, FRC2590.org.

Team 2590 Nemesis, the Montreal Regional Champion, initially had a rough start at the Lenape District qualifier March 24-25 at Seneca High School in Tabernacle, where 40 teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware were competing. The 4-foot-tall robot built by the Robbinsville students wasn't hitting the basket with the same accuracy it had displayed in Montreal.

The team's Pit Crew scoured the machine, analyzing each component to see what was amiss. Then the Software Team decided to change the white LED to a green LED to simplify vision processing. Soon Nemesis was back in action and once again sinking its shots and scoring points.

Under the rules of FIRST's "Rebound Rumble" competition, robots earn points by shooting basketballs into hoops of varying heights inside an arena. Students need to form alliances with other teams to maximize their total points.

Although Nemesis' problem with its vision processing has been fixed quickly, it was too late to make the top eight teams and Nemesis dropped to the 9th seed, then moved up to No. 8 during the selection process. Fortunately, the 3rd seeded team, the Miracle Workerz, aka MOE FRC 365, had scouted the Montreal videos and asked Nemesis and Anomaly, FRC 816, to join their alliance.

With two shooters and Anomaly playing defense, the alliance won all but one round as it powered its way through the finals, winning the Lenape Regional. The alliance clinched a berth at the Mid Atlantic Regional (MAR) in Philadelphia April 12-14.

In other news, Nemesis won the Website Award thanks to the efforts its webmaster, Alena Principato. The award recognizes excellence in student-designed, built, and managed FIRST team websites.

Nemesis also won the District Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award honoring the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST, the not-for-profit founded in 1989 to inspire students in the engineering and technology fields.

In the wake of the recent victories that have put RHS on the road to St. Louis, Nemesis' Finance team has been contacting local companies to secure donations to cover the $20,000 in registration and travel expenses to the World Championship. Quick to respond were SRI International, McGraw Hill, Robbinsville resident Julie Thomas, and others who have all sent donations to the team.

Anyone wishing to help the team with its expenses, may send a check to FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis, 155 Robbinsville-Edinburg Road, Robbinsville, NJ, 08691.