Competition Results

Below are summaries of each competition taken from our newsletters!

Please click here to see stunning pictures of the Boilermaker Regional and the Buckeye Regional taken by our professional photographer Mr. Shawn Spence!

Check out more information about our robot and a special highlights video from the Buckeye Regional here!

Boilermaker Regional, March 19 - 21, 2009
The weekend of March 19, 20, and 21 was one of the most exciting for Team 868, as they made TechHOUNDS history by winning their first regional of their eight years of participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The TechHOUNDS were the captains for the fourth-seeded alliance comprising of two additional teams: Team 1024, The Kil-A-Bytes from McKenzie Career Center in Indianapolis, and Team 292, PantherTech from Western High School in Russiaville, Indiana. Together, this powerful alliance won gold medals as they were crowed the 2009 Boilermaker Regional Champions.

Team 868's robot, "Mr. Shumper", made quite an impression in the competition with drivers Stephen Spence and Andrew Johnston, human player Dane Dale, and coach Adam Wilmes. On Thursday, the drive team utilized their practice matches to once again become accustomed to the unique Lunacy field and a change in drivers from the Cleveland competition. This hardworking drive team was victorious throughout Friday's qualifying matches, winning each match with an average score of seventy points by shooting and dumping (thus "shumping") game pieces efficiently. At the end of day one, the team was in first place. However, after a few losses during Saturday's qualifying matches, the TechHOUNDS were ranked fourth going into the finals. The top eight seeded teams are given an opportunity to choose two alliance parterns to compete with during the final matches. Team 868 invited the assistance of Team 1024 and Team 292, forming an effective, robust alliance.

The TechHOUNDS plowed through the quarterfinals and semifinals, thus emerging as finalists against the powerful alliance of Team 45, Team 234, and Team 461, an alliance that placed first in a previous regional competition. The alliances had to win two out of three final matches - Team 234's alliance won the first match, while our alliance won the second match. Thus, the third match was as heated as ever, and with a last-minute upset in score, the TechHOUNDS alliance were victorious, with a final score of 81 to 78!

A major component of our robot, allowing it to maneuver on the slippery field, is a special traction control program - this feature won a major judged award, the Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award. Not only were we successful on the playing field, but our student-constructed pit, incorporating a unique layout, efficient workspace, and colorful banners and video, incited interest from several teams and public spectators.

The six weeks of hard work by the TechHOUNDS, a team of sixty students and twelve adult mentors, ultimately culminated to becoming a Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award-winner, the 2009 Buckeye Regional Finalist, and the 2009 Boilermaker Regional Champions. We are eagerly looking forward to the FIRST Robotics International Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.

Buckeye Regional, February 26 - 28, 2009
On Saturday, February 28, the TechHOUNDS won silver medals as they competed in the 2009 Buckeye Regional in Cleveland, Ohio and won second place with its alliance partners, Teams 1018 - the Pike RoboDevils from Pike High School in Indianapolis - and 3010 - the Centerburg Trojans, a rookie team from Centerburg, Ohio.

Team 868 proved to present a consistent, high-scoring robot during Thursday’s practice rounds, and after efficiently making a change from a two-wheel drive train to four-wheel, we confidently began Friday’s qualifying matches as one of the top robots of the competition, scoring approximately eighty points per match with our innovative dumping mechanism. After losses due to radio problems on Friday, the TechHOUNDS recovered, winning both of Saturday’s qualifying matches. This placed Team 868 at fourteenth rank overall, and ultimately we were honored to be chosen by the second seeded team of the competition, Team 1018, as a partner. With the selection of Team 3010 to complete the alliance, the three effective offensive robots collaborated as a powerful trio.

Quickly and victoriously storming through quarterfinals and semifinals, our alliance emerged as a finalist, competing against the robust alliance of Teams 1747, 1038, and 2010. Both alliances played with brilliant strategy in two heated matches, and the TechHOUNDS ultimately finished in second place.

Our drivers, Charles Nepomuceno and Stephen Spence, human player Dane Dale, and coach Adam Wilmes successfully directed our robot on the slippery field, capturing the attention of the entire audience. Not only were we popular on the playing field, but our student-constructed pit, incorporating a unique layout, efficient workspace, and colorful banners and video, incited interest from virtually all teams and public spectators.

With our skilled drive team and alliance partners, hard-working members in the pits, and spirited adults and students cheering the team on in the stands, the TechHOUNDS have started its 2009 FIRST Robotics Season with full force, and we are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming Boilermaker Regional in West Lafayette, Indiana at Purdue University and the FIRST Robotics International Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.