Nemesis Ends on a High Note at Hatboro Havoc
This past Saturday, as Nemesis 2590 stepped foot into the arena of Hatboro Havoc, excitement and anticipation quickly rose within the crowd. This event marked the beginning of the off-season for FIRST Robotics Competition, a memorable one for all.
The opening ceremony of the competition initiated with the Emcee announcing each of the competing teams, and we got to see our opponents up close. The atmosphere was electric, as we saw teams decked out in their team gear, ready to rally behind us. Hatboro Havoc, while smaller in scale to regional competitions, still features a full-fledged tournament environment. Teams are divided into alliances, working together to score points by completing various objectives like shooting game pieces into goals, climbing platforms, and completing autonomous routines.
The crowd, cheering with unbridled joy, intently watched the Nemesis robot Kronos’s every move while the drivers at the station scored points for the Red alliance. However, reality hit hard in the following games against formidable opponents, as they came out swinging. As the pressure mounted, we eventually settled in, and the matches were strategically starting to be played by the drive team. One of the drive team members, Nate Lonarker, claimed “Kronos performed pretty well overall, with no breakdowns or technical difficulties”. The matches were cycled through to the rookie drivers. This allowed the drive team to receive experience in driving Kronos. We allied with teams 407 and 5181 during the final playoffs matches. Overall, Nemesis 2590 made it past the qualification rounds and finished in eighth place overall.
One key aspect that was accomplished this Saturday was introducing rookies to the team dynamics in a competition setting and educating them on what is needed to be accomplished during an event. The rookies were able to learn more and build experience on scouting, which is the process of evaluating the FRC teams at the competition. The rookies were able to gain information on note taking while scouting and efficiently practice it. Even though the process appeared complex to them in the beginning, they eventually were able to pick up on it. Recurring team members also got a chance in practicing scouting teams by taking notes during playoffs, which allowed both to understand and analyze the robots performance up close.
No robotics competition is without its challenges. Throughout the day, the team faced a few hurdles such as working with the other teams in autonomous tasks and scoring goals. These moments are what FIRST Robotics is all about—learning from setbacks and thinking critically under pressure. The newer members got hands-on experience working alongside seasoned veterans, reinforcing the notion that every member of the team plays an essential role in the day’s success.
The day ended with a sense of accomplishment and excitement for what’s to come. Hatboro Havoc gave Nemesis 2590 the perfect opportunity to kickstart the off-season with confidence. The team now has their sights set on upcoming events, more determined than ever to push the boundaries of their engineering and teamwork. Nemesis 2590 is ready to build on this momentum as they prepare for the next challenge, and continue embodying the spirit of FIRST Robotics. We hope to come back next year to Hatboro Havoc!
