THE TOP 20 CA FRC TEAMS – Post Week 4

by Rebecca Berggren | Oct 29, 2014 | Blog, Featured News

THE TOP 20 FRC TEAMS IN CALIFORNIA
Post Week 4 – Rankings

Voters Poll
The ‘Voters Poll’ is a voted on by a selected panel of team mentors from across the state of California. Each week, the panel submits their list of who they think are the top 15 teams in the state. A 1st place vote is worth 15 points, 2nd place vote is worth 14 points, 3rd place vote is worth 13 points, etc. Teams are then ranked based on who has the highest point total after all the votes have been submitted.
OPR Poll
The ‘OPR Poll’ is based on who has the highest Offensive Power Rating (OPR) in the state of California. OPR is a way of looking at a team’s estimated contribution to their alliance’s score. This is not the same as average score since that assumes that each team is equally contributing to an alliances score. Instead, OPR takes into account all the alliances a team has played on. A team’s highest OPR score will be used in the poll.
Standard Points Poll
The ‘Standard Points Poll” is based on the FRC Standard District Point Ranking System that was announced in the fall of 2013. This is the same system that is being used by all four ‘regions’ during the 2014 FRC season. The system ranks teams based on the four components of an event: Qualification, Alliance Selection, Elimination and Awards. An explanation of how teams earn points can be found here.
If a team plays at only 1 regional, their score will be doubled. If a team plays at 3 regionals, only their first two regionals will count toward their points total. All events will be normalized to 12 qualification matches. Teams that compete at the FIRST Championship will have their championship points added to their season total. All points earned at the Championship will be worth 3x.
Combined Poll
The ‘Combined Poll’ is a aggregate poll that takes into account the three polls listed above. The ‘Voters Poll’, ‘OPR Poll’ and ‘Standard Points Poll’ are treated as voters in the ‘Combined Poll’. The results of the ‘Voters Poll’ will make up 50% of the points while the ‘OPR Poll’ and ‘Standard Points Poll’ will each make up 25%.
Mathematically it works like this:
P_v = 2 * (21 – R_v)
P_o = (21 – R_o)
P_s = (21 – R_s)
P_c = P_v + P_o + P_s
P_v / P_o  / P_s = The points a team receives for being in a poll. If a team is not ranked in that poll, they will received 0 points.
R_v  / R_o / R_s = A team’s rank in a poll.
P_c = Total combined points. The team with the highest P_c will be ranked 1st in the ‘Combined Poll’.
For example:
Team X is 10th in the ‘Voters Poll’, 2nd in the ‘OPR Poll’ and 15th in the ‘Standard Points Poll’. they will earn to total of 47 points for the ‘Combined Poll’ (22 from the ‘Voters Poll’, 19 from the ‘OPR Poll’ and 6 from the ‘Standard Points Poll’
Team Y is 1st in the ‘Voters Poll’, 10th in the ‘OPR Poll’ and 3rd in the ‘Standard Points Poll’. They would receive a total of 69 points for the ‘Combined Poll’ (40 from the ‘Voters Poll’, 11 from the ‘OPR Poll’ and 18 from the ‘Standard Points Poll’

San Diego FTC Championship Tournament

by Rebecca Berggren | Oct 21, 2014 | Blog, Featured News

Congratulations to ALL Teams, Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the San Diego FTC Championship Tournament!
The following teams and individuals earned top honors for their hard work, teamwork and accomplishments.
Inspire Award
Presented to Stuffed Dragons, Team 6565 from San Diego

Inspire Award Finalists
Second Place: Team 135, Fusion
Third Place: Team 4112, Warriors

The Inspire Award is given to the Team that the Judges felt truly embodied the ‘challenge’ of the FTC program. This Team serves as an inspiration to what this program and the young minds involved, can accomplish. The Team that receives this Award has performed well in all Judging categories and was chosen by the Judges as a model FIRST Tech Challenge Team. The Judges used Match performance, observations made during interviews and in the Pit area, the Team’s Engineering Notebook, and performance on the Playing Field in determining the winner.
 
San Diego FTC Championship Tournament Winning Alliance
Team 6565; Team 5555; Team 5279


San Diego FTC Championship Tournament Finalist Alliance
Team 5828, Team 4278, Team 3848


 
Motivate Award
Presented to West Torrance Robotics, Team 4512  from Torrance
Motivate Award Finalists
Team 6565, Stuffed Dragons
Team 542, WHS Robotics

This Judged Award celebrates the Team that exemplifies the essence of the FIRST Tech Challenge Competition through Team spirit and enthusiasm. This Team shows their spirit through costumes and fun outfits, a Team cheer or outstanding spirit, or through their collective efforts to make FIRST known throughout their school or community.
 
Connect Award
Presented to Rock n Roll Robots, Team 25 from Pasadena
Connect Award Finalists
Team 135, Fusion
Team 6565, Stuffed Dragons
The Connect Award is presented to the Team that the Judges feel most connected with their local community and the engineering community. The best Team is more than the sum of its parts, and recognizes that their schools and communities play an essential part to their success. The recipient of this Award is recognized for helping the community understand FIRST, the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the Team itself. In addition, the Team that wins this Award is aggressively seeking engineers and exploring the opportunities available in the world of engineering, science, and technology.
 
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award
Presented to Kings and Queens, Team 4625 from Monrovia
Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Finalists
Team 6565, Stuffed Dragons
Team 4119, Brain Nuggets
The Rockwell Collins Innovate Award celebrates a Team that not only thinks outside the box, but also has the ingenuity and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This Award is given to the Team that the Judges feel has the most Innovative and Creative Robot design solution to the FIRST Tech Challenge to any or all specific Field Elements or components. Elements of this Award include elegant design, robustness, and ‘out of the box’ thinking with regard to design. This Award may address the design of the whole Robot or some sub-assembly component attached to the Robot. The creative component needs to work consistently, but a Robot does not have to work all of the time during Matches to be considered for this Award. The Team’s Engineering Notebook showed the design of the component(s) and the Team’s Robot, and described succinctly how the Team arrived at that solution.
 
PTC Design Award
Presented to The Warriors, Team 4112 from San Diego
PTC Design Award Finalists
Team 6350, RoboRevolt
Team 5555, Option 16

The intent of the PTC Design Award is to expand the challenge, inspiring Teams to incorporate industrial design into their Robots. These elements can be shown in the simplicity of the design as it applies to the tasks, the look and feel of the Robot, and how the design allows us to think of Robots in new ways. The Design aspect must serve a function, but they should also differentiate the Robot in a unique fashion, not an easy task with a limited set of parts and Game challenge.
 
Think Award
Presented to Fusion, Team 135 from San Diego
Think Award Finalists
Team 6137, RoBowties
Team 6373, Parabots
The Think Award is given to the Team that the Judges feel best understood the role of the Engineering Notebook in the design process. The Engineering Notebook is the key reference for Judges to help them identify the most deserving Team. This Team’s Engineering Notebook focused on the design and build stages of the Team’s Robot.
 
Promote Award
Presented to Metal Ducks, Team 5826, from Hemet
Promote Award Finalists
Team 25, Rock n Roll Robots
Team 6373, Parabots
The Promote Award is given to the Team that is most successful in creating a compelling message for the public designed to change our culture and celebrate science, technology, engineering, and math. The FTC Public Service Announcement Video was evaluated by the Judges to determine the winner of this Award. Teams must present a thoughtful and high-quality video which appeals to the general public.

 
Control Award
Presented to Brain Nuggest, Team 4119 from Long Beach
The Control Award celebrates a Team that uses sensors and software to enhance the Robot’s functionality in the Field. This award is given to the Team that demonstrates innovative thinking in the control system to solve Game Challenges such as Autonomous operation, enhancing mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results on the Field.
 
Judges Award
Presented to Kronos, Team 2885 from Escondido
Judges Award Finalists
Team 3650, Torrey Techies
Team 5822, Bacon Bots
The Judges Award is given at the discretion of the judges to a team they have encountered whose unique efforts, performance or dynamics merit recognition, yet the team does not fit into any of the existing award categories.
 
We’d like to wish the VERY BEST OF LUCK to:

• all the FTC  teams who are advancing to the FTC West Super-Regional in Sacramento, March 20-22, 2014
• all the FTC teams competing in the Los Angeles FTC Championship Tourmanent this weekend
• all the FTC teams competing in the NorCal FTC Championship Tournament this weekend

 
We’d love to hear your stories.  Please consider sharing them with us here in the comments below or on our facebook page.  Photo and video links welcome!

THE TOP 20 CA FRC TEAMS – Post Week 3

by Rebecca Berggren | Oct 20, 2014 | Blog, Featured News

THE TOP 20 FRC TEAMS IN CALIFORNIA
Post Week 3 – Rankings

Voters Poll
The ‘Voters Poll’ is a voted on by a selected panel of team mentors from across the state of California. Each week, the panel submits their list of who they think are the top 15 teams in the state. A 1st place vote is worth 15 points, 2nd place vote is worth 14 points, 3rd place vote is worth 13 points, etc. Teams are then ranked based on who has the highest point total after all the votes have been submitted.
OPR Poll
The ‘OPR Poll’ is based on who has the highest Offensive Power Rating (OPR) in the state of California. OPR is a way of looking at a team’s estimated contribution to their alliance’s score. This is not the same as average score since that assumes that each team is equally contributing to an alliances score. Instead, OPR takes into account all the alliances a team has played on. A team’s highest OPR score will be used in the poll.
Standard Points Poll
The ‘Standard Points Poll” is based on the FRC Standard District Point Ranking System that was announced in the fall of 2013. This is the same system that is being used by all four ‘regions’ during the 2014 FRC season. The system ranks teams based on the four components of an event: Qualification, Alliance Selection, Elimination and Awards. An explanation of how teams earn points can be found here.
If a team plays at only 1 regional, their score will be doubled. If a team plays at 3 regionals, only their first two regionals will count toward their points total. All events will be normalized to 12 qualification matches. Teams that compete at the FIRST Championship will have their championship points added to their season total. All points earned at the Championship will be worth 3x.
Combined Poll
The ‘Combined Poll’ is a aggregate poll that takes into account the three polls listed above. The ‘Voters Poll’, ‘OPR Poll’ and ‘Standard Points Poll’ are treated as voters in the ‘Combined Poll’. The results of the ‘Voters Poll’ will make up 50% of the points while the ‘OPR Poll’ and ‘Standard Points Poll’ will each make up 25%.
Mathematically it works like this:
P_v = 2 * (21 – R_v)
P_o = (21 – R_o)
P_s = (21 – R_s)
P_c = P_v + P_o + P_s
P_v / P_o  / P_s = The points a team receives for being in a poll. If a team is not ranked in that poll, they will received 0 points.
R_v  / R_o / R_s = A team’s rank in a poll.
P_c = Total combined points. The team with the highest P_c will be ranked 1st in the ‘Combined Poll’.
For example:
Team X is 10th in the ‘Voters Poll’, 2nd in the ‘OPR Poll’ and 15th in the ‘Standard Points Poll’. they will earn to total of 47 points for the ‘Combined Poll’ (22 from the ‘Voters Poll’, 19 from the ‘OPR Poll’ and 6 from the ‘Standard Points Poll’
Team Y is 1st in the ‘Voters Poll’, 10th in the ‘OPR Poll’ and 3rd in the ‘Standard Points Poll’. They would receive a total of 69 points for the ‘Combined Poll’ (40 from the ‘Voters Poll’, 11 from the ‘OPR Poll’ and 18 from the ‘Standard Points Poll’

2nd Annual Inland Empire FIRST Robotics Regional

by Rebecca Berggren | Oct 13, 2014 | Blog, Featured News

Congratulations to ALL Teams, Mentors, Volunteers, Sponsors, Friends and Family members who participated in the 2nd Annual Inland Empire FIRST Robotics Regional and helped to create an exciting and memorable weekend.
The following teams and individuals earned top honors at the Inland Empire Regional and will be going on to compete at the Championships in St. Louis in April.  We wish them the best of luck!
Regional Chairman’s Award
Team 399, Eagle Robotics – Lancaster, CA


The Inland Empire Chairman’s Award represents the true spirit of FIRST.  It honors the team that best serves as a model for other teams to emulate and that embodies the goals of FIRST.  It remains FIRST’s most prestigious team award.  The Chairman’s Award is presented to the team judged to have the most significant measurable impact of its partnerships among its participants, school, and community over a sustained period, not just a single build season or school year. The winner is able to demonstrate progress towards FIRST’s mission of transforming our culture.  The recipient will be invited to the FIRST Championship where it will compete for the Chairman’s Award against the winners from all the other qualifying events.
Here’s what the Judges had to say –

“This veteran team has chosen to deck themselves out in secondary colors, but they are not secondary by any means.  Their love of Java keeps them up late on weekdays, but they are always sure to recycle their cups and bottles.  Their love isn’t just for Java though, they spread it around, making Valentines for those who served our country, and reaching out to those affected by sudden loss.  They make sure they always have fresh birds coming to the nest by recruiting early and engaging those not even eligible to join their team!
They currently mentor 19 other robotics programs.  Mentoring is so engrained in the spirit of the team, they have been overheard saying: “To think that we helped this team start almost a year ago and to watch them expand is a beautiful thing.”  They even manage to set other teams up for success as their mentees have gone on to win amazing awards of their own!  They always step up their game at the end of the season.  Even when they do not qualify for Championships they always send a delegation to throw a geeky shindig.”

Engineering Inspiration
Team 4499, The Highlanders – Fort Collins, CO


The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school and community.  This team will advance to the Championships and receive a $5000 grant toward registration.
Here’s what the judges had to say –

“This second year, community team hit the ground running starting a non-profit to support the growth of robotics programs in their local area.  Their team was the result of a quickening of two other teams, creating a powerhouse of energized members.  They suited up for their interviews and brought survival kits for all the rookies this year.  Their first battle on the Scottish Highlands was in 1536, and then..Oh Wait…I’m being told that was a different guy. 🙂  But it’s true, there can only be one: Team 4499, The Highlanders!”

Regional Winners

Team 1678, Citrus Circuits from Davis, CA; Team 399, Eagle Robotics from Lancaster, CA; Team 4161, T-Birds from Yucaipa, CA
Rookie All-Star Award
Team 5012, Gryffingear from Palmdale, CA

This award celebrates a 1st year team demonstrating an early but strong partnership effort, implementing the mission of FIRST.  Its winner understands what FIRST is really trying to accomplish and realizes that technical work is fun and challenging, made better by building a partnership among team, community and school.  This is not an easy challenge for a rookie team but the judges want to recognize and reward one team that got it right.
Here’s what the judges had to say –

“This Rookie team has come out of the gates blazing, ranking above many senior teams here at the Inland Empire Regional.  If FIRST was like college, this team ensured their freshman year would be a good start by auditing their classes a whole year ahead.  If you take the numbers of their mentoring teams and add them together, divide that number by the number of months the team’s school has been open, 54, and then divide that number by the repeating decimal 1.868945, you get nine and three quarters. That my friends, is the platform where you will find this Rookie team waiting for the train to St. Louis where no one will catch their “golden snitch”! The sorting hat has picked, Team 5012, Gryffingear!”

 
Dean’s List Finalist: Honoring FIRST Student Superstars
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist #1 – Anthony Stuart, Team 4201 – Hawthorne, CA
FIRST Dean’s List Finalist #2 – Dylan McNamara, Team 3925  – Ventura, CA


In an effort to recognize the leadership and dedication of FIRST’s most outstanding FRC students, the Kamen family sponsors an award for selected top students known as the FIRST Dean’s List.
This award celebrates a student’s outstanding leadership and effectiveness in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. FIRST Dean’s List Finalists will compete at the championship for the FIRST Dean’s List.
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award
David Voracek
Mentor for Team 399

Here’s what the judges had to say about David –

“This mentor’s enthusiasm for FIRST and STEM is contagious.  He inspires and motivates his team with innovative presentations and events keeping students actively engaged.  He coins motivating mottos for the team to pursue. He invites his students to his workplace to meet engineers and technicians.  This mentor also runs an FTC team and has started several other FRC and FTC teams.  His team recognizes that their coach mentors with both his head and his heart.  He rejoices in their successes”

Additional Awards
Congratulations to the Teams and individuals that earned the remaining awards at the Inland Empire Regional! See the list here.
FIRST Impressions
FIRST Senior Mentor and Inland Empire Regional Planning Committee member, Rick Sisk had this to say:

“Producing a FIRST Robotics Competition is a lot of hard work. We start planning for the next year’s event as soon as this one is complete.  So why do so many professionals volunteer so much time out of their busy schedules?  It is all about the impact this program has on the team members, the mentors, and the community.  We are providing an environment where kids can get excited about science and technology, kids that might be shy at a school dance are on the competition floor dancing to YMCA with judges, mentors, mascots and their friends.  It is a world where they can have fun, work hard, and learn so many great skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. The work is hard, the rewards are huge.”

FIRST Outstanding Volunteer Award winner, Inland Empire Regional Planning Committee member and CEO of Regional Sponsor SMaRT Education, Liberty Naud shared:

“When Rick and Dona Sisk asked me if I thought we could bring an FRC Regional to the Inland Empire, my gut reaction had been, “No way,” which was surprising, as I’m usually the one touting that we can do anything and everything. Now, here we are after our second successful IEFRC Event and I shake my head in amazement at what we are able to do together as a team. We really can do anything.  The Inland Empire needs leaders who can think on their feet, perform under pressure, and collaborate seamlessly and graciously across industries and demographics. I haven’t seen an educational institution, degree, or program do that better than FIRST. “

Support
An immense THANK YOU to all the Sponsors who contributed to this very successful Regional with funding, mentors, volunteers and enthusiasm!




 
Relive the Memories!

• 2014 Inland Empire Regional pics (from FIRST California Flickr)

 
We hope you too had a profound experience at the Inland Empire Regional.  We’d love to hear your stories.  Please consider sharing them with us here in the comments below or on our facebook page.  Photo and video links welcome!