Nemesis Powers Up at IRI!

The sun shined bright on a beautiful day in Indianapolis, Indiana. The air smelled of corn and competition. On July 12, 2018, seventy teams from all over North America converged upon the Indiana Robotics Invitational hosted by FRC teams; 234, 45, and 1024. Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 2590, Nemesis, attended with high spirits after being finalists at the Tesla Division at the FIRST World Championship held in Detroit in April. The 2018 challenge, FIRST Power Up, was an arcade based game. In this game, opposing alliances stacked crates on switches and a scale to gain ownership. During endgame, robots would climb up the scale. Nemesis tried to beat the boss using their precisely engineered “wings” to lift two robots and themselves up the scale.

As qualification matches began, Nemesis struggled to adjust to the new drive team members. However, after a few matches, the team gained control once again. In the stands, Nemesis worked with other teams from the Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) to scout competing teams. Strategy team member, Chinmay Savanur said “Collaborating with other MAR teams gave us a sense of unity throughout the competition.”

On day two of the event, teams finished qualification matches and started alliance selections. At rank 18, Nemesis was picked by the seventh alliance with FRC 1024 Kil-A-Bytes, FRC 225 TechFire, and FRC 868 TechHOUNDS. During the lunch break, members from all four alliances strategized for their upcoming matches.

Nemesis and its alliance partners flew through elimination matches undefeated, beating some of the best teams at the event. When the final matches began, the energy of the event was at an all time high. Build team member, Kavya Velliangiri exclaimed, “The energy at the competition was indescribable! The sound of teams cheering filled the gym with excitement.”

The first of three finals matches started with Nemesis and the rest of the Blue Alliance in the lead. With two minutes to go, TechFire’s robot tipped over onto the field. The Blue Alliance found it close to impossible to maintain their lead in the two versus three robot situation. The Red Alliance caught up and won the match with a score of 328 to 387.

Finals two began with a slight advantage towards the Red Alliance. The Blue Alliance started accumulating points at a rate of 2/second and gained the lead. The announcer struggled to keep up as the scale tipped back and forth. With thirty seconds left, Nemesis lifted the Kil-A-Bytes onto the scale but were brought back down. “3, 2, 1” the crowd chanted in anticipation. Nemesis and the Kil-A-Bytes climbed the scale earning the Blue Alliance enough points to play one more match. “And the winner of Finals two is… the Blue Alliance!” The crowd roared.

As Europe’s, “The Final Countdown” played in the background, Finals three began. The Red Alliance quickly gained ownership of their switch and their scale. Nemesis and its alliance fought to change that. The scale soon tipped in the Blue Alliance’s favor. With TechFire and Nemesis stacking cubes on the scale, the Kil-A-Bytes focused on the exchange zone. With 100 seconds left, the two alliances were at an exact tie. As endgame approached, Nemesis let down its wings. Both TechFire and the Kil-A-Bytes climbed on. Five seconds left. Nemesis pulled all three robots up onto the scale. The crowd went wild! “3, 2, 1,” the gymnasium yelled.

The Blue Alliance huddled together while judges deliberated. “The winner of the Indiana Robotics Invitational is… the Red Alliance!” When the final score of 396 to 399 was announced, Nemesis celebrated the amazing matches they played throughout the invitational. Rising junior, Connie Mehl explained, “It was an amazing experience. I could feel our team’s unity and support every match we played.”

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, Coldwell Bankers, and the family and friends of Nemesis.