NEMESIS WINS MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP

Snow flurries dusted the ground around Stabler Arena in Lehigh, PA, as Robbinsville High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Team 2590, Nemesis, clinched its second regional victory in what has been a stellar 2018 season. Ranked number one in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the second year in a row, Nemesis won their third Blue Banner of the season with alliance partners Team 225 Tech Fire from York, PA and Team 2016 The Mighty Monkey Wrenches from Ewing, NJ as the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Champions!

The 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition game challenge, FIRST Power Up, thrusts audiences head first into a vintage video game themed challenge. Robots represent game characters entrenched in a battle for dominance with power boosts and point bonuses to ultimately defeat the boss! This weekend, Nemesis competed against 59 other teams from Delaware, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic Championship. Local teams that competed include those from Allentown, Hamilton, Plainsboro, Ewing, Trenton, North Brunswick, Montgomery, Hightstown, and more. The competition consisted of 120 grueling qualification matches. Following alliance selection, where the top 8 ranked teams select two partners each, the top 24 robots battle through the playoffs. The prize for the winning alliance: a Blue Banner and a ticket to the FIRST Championship in Detroit, Michigan at the end of the month.

The competition commenced on a high note: Nemesis finished qualification matches with a record of 11-1, fearlessly defeating their opponents with their fluid driving and clever strategy. As the only team with the ability to lift both alliance partners and themselves using unique “wings” (steel beams upon which two other robots can rest), 2590 was evidently popular with the crowd. Every time Nemesis took to the field, the sea of red in the stands passionately showed their support with booming stadium shaking cheers. The Scouting Team diligently recorded statistics and performance data on every competing robot to pick the perfect alliance partner for elimination matches. The team retained their first place position throughout the competition, and Nemesis became the captain of the highest ranked alliance. With two excellent offensive teams and a formidable defense robot, this number one alliance was ready for playoffs.

Nemesis and their alliance partners battled undefeated through quarterfinals and semifinals, and the top two ranked alliances faced each other in the final rounds. After experiencing defeat during the first nail-biting finals match, Nemesis and their teammates were anxious and determined to come back. Winning the exhilarating second match, the two sides were now neck and neck. It all came down to the final tiebreaker. Deafening screams of support for both alliances rocked the stadium as the match began. The scale tipped back and forth, and the scores were unsettlingly close. Suddenly, Nemesis and their alliance pulled ahead. 5..4..3..2..1..0. They won! Celebrations began in the stands and down on the field as Nemesis shouted in delight, realizing they were once again the Mid-Atlantic Champions.

Pit Crew member Rahul Sawant effuses, “After the loss in the first finals match, watching us come together as a team to overcome the tough challenges was the greatest feeling ever.”

Nemesis also took home the Excellence in Engineering Award, which celebrates an elegant and advantageous machine feature. The team ranked number one overall in the Mid-Atlantic District, and will be competing at the FIRST Championship in Detroit at the end of the month.

Nemesis is grateful for the support of their community, and would like to thank their gracious sponsors: Robbinsville High School, Navair, DoDStem, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CCL Label, Picatinny Arsenal, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Lockheed Martin, Robbinsville Education Association, Investors Bank, SkyLink Technologies, CCC, Sharbell Development, RAS, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Gilbane, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, Triangle Copy, DesignTree, Coldwell Bankers, and Canine Services.