Nemesis Beats the Boss at Hudson Valley
The crowd watched anxiously as the final scores appeared on the screen. “And defeating the boss… is the red alliance!” That was it. 18-0-0. After 18 dramatic and exhilarating matches, Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team FRC 2590, Nemesis, along with alliance partners FRC 1796, RoboTigers from Long Island City, and the FRC 6401, Clarkstown North 8-Bit Rams from New City, NY left the Hudson Valley Regional victorious. Cheers of elation coursed through the Rockland Community College fieldhouse during the weekend of March 23rd - March 25th. The victory at the regional event qualified the winning alliance to compete at FIRST Championship in Detroit this April.
Nemesis joined 39 other teams at the regional event in Suffern, NY which including teams from Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay. After finishing the Bridgewater-Raritan District Event as finalists, Nemesis was back and hungry for success.
It took a full team effort to win the event, from the drive team’s (Jared Miller, Dahany Choi, Alex Keller, and Mariko McMurtry) performance under pressure, to the pit crew (Matthew Began, Richa Mandrekar, Nolan Quon, and Rahul Sawant) who speedily repaired the robot after each match, and the scouts (led by Chinmay Savanur, Harsh Padhye, and Bhargavi Lanka) who charted every robot’s performance and worked around the clock to determine which robots would join Nemesis’ alliance.
By the end of all 80 qualification matches, Nemesis sat in first place with an average of 3.33 out of 4 ranking points per match. Meanwhile, in the pits, Nemesis’ marketing team (Jarelle Boac, Likhitha Patlolla, Ethan Silberberg, Julia Ruch, Nick Anderson, Josh Lichtenstein, and Rebekah Rahman) impressed the judges with their world-class business plan and presentation skills.
During alliance selection, Nemesis chose FRC 1796, the RoboTigers, and FRC 6401, the Clarkstown North 8-Bit Rams, to join them in battling the boss. The crowd cheered in either triumph or agony for their robot to make it to the next round. As one side of the scale lowered, one side of the gym erupted, and when an opposing robot countered, the other side of the fieldhouse equaled their excitement. The energy in the room continued throughout 13 electric quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
During the first finals match, Nemesis and the red alliance put forth a dominant performance. They controlled the scale throughout the match, placed 6 cubes into the vault and received 65 points for their endgame climb, adding up to a 435 - 232 win. The red alliance once again kept strong control of both the switch and the scale during the second finals match. The red alliance achieved all 90 endgame points, paving the way for a 413-322 win and an undefeated Hudson Valley regional victory.
Not only did Nemesis walk away from Suffern, NY as victors with a secured ticket to FIRST Championship, but they also won the Excellence in Engineering award, which recognizes a unique and exemplary feat of engineering, impressing the judges with distinct robot-carrying wings, efficient intake, and a dual elevator.
After their success at the Hudson Valley Regional event, Nemesis hopes to continue improving at their next events, the Hatboro-Horsham District Event, and FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship.
