They have come.

Yes.

The Robots have come.

From the deep dark depths of the Terry Center’s own Robo-Dungeon, Jesuit’s robotics team, the 2848 All Sparks have emerged, beginning their spring season at the Irving Convention Center from March 1-4.

The Layout

  • The convention center was divided into two sections. One half of the area was designated for the pits, where the robots were worked on, and the practice arena. The other half contained the competition field and the concession stand.
Setting up shop at the convention center

The Statistics

  • Our team, team 2848, the All Sparks, seeded 4th in the qualification matches, with an average ranking score of 2.77. Each match has a possibility of 4 ranking points: 2 for a win, 1 for each alliance’s robot crossing a line during the autonomous period, and 1 for each alliance member successfully hanging their robot on the top of the scale.
Pre-match preparations

The Playoffs

The robot in action!
  • After the 90 qualification matches, the top teams select other teams to join their alliance and compete with them in the playoffs. The 3rd seeded team, also from Dallas, team 3005, the RoboChargers, selected us as their 1st pick and team 2723, Team Rocket from Oklahoma City, as their 2nd pick.
Yes, the hype and the Pikachu hat are real!!!

The Finals

It was hands-on-head intense!
  • Our alliance made it to the finals where we were against team 148, the Robowranglers from Greenville, TX, team 118, the Robonauts from Houston, TX, and team 2789, TEXPLOSION from Manor, TX. The first match in the finals ended with a score of 270 – 435, and the second match in the finals ended with a score of 266 – 396.
  • Though we did not win the finals matches, we received a wildcard and qualified for the world championship in Houston, April 18 – April 21. Every regional tournament has at least one wildcard. This tournament had two because team 148, which was founded in 1992, are one of the few teams with an automatic ticket to the world championship.

“It was a pretty great experience,” commented programming co-lead Ian Winson ’18. “The robot performed quite well and it was exciting to see our hard work of the season work. It wasn’t too different from other regionals I’ve been to. We had a lot of problems with our intake. It took some on the fly fixes and quick thinking to get it to be functional. Overall, it was a good tournament.”

The Awards

The All Sparks won a number of impressive awards:

Debbie Barone, Robotics mentor, accepting the award
  • Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (Debbie Barone)
    • “I was so proud watching our members helping so many other teams get their robots up and running,” said All-Sparks mentor Debbie Barone. “The Dallas regional had some of the best teams in the world competing and we made it to the finals, absolutely thrilling. I am honored that the team nominated me for the award and that I stand next to so many amazing mentors. It takes a village to build a robot.”

 

  • FIRST Dean’s List Finalist Award (Noah Santoni)
  • Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors

Looking forward

The All Sparks did a fantastic job in Irving, ranking high and qualifying for Worlds yet again. Now the robotics team looks forward to their next competition this weekend at the Ritchie Center in Denver, Colorado. Wish ’em luck! And stay tuned to The Roundup for more exciting robotics updates!

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