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Johnson City FIRST Team 08
31 Mar 2008
JOHNSON CITY, NY — With sponsorship from BAE Systems, and mentoring by 15 company employees, a team from Union-Endicott High School in Endicott, New York, allied with three other teams to win the 2008 U.S. FIRST Robotics Finger Lakes Regional Competition, held March 6-8 at Rochester Institute of Technology.
With this regional win, the Tigertronics Team #2053 and their allies are eligible to compete in the 2008 U.S. FIRST Championships at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia April 17-19.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is a varsity sport that challenges students and their mentors to solve a common problem, using a standard parts kit and common rules, within six weeks.
This year 40 teams from around the state competed for the highest score, by constructing and operating robots that makes laps around a track while moving 40-inch balls over and/or under an overpass that bisects the track. The competition required each robot to be teamed with two other robots to form alliances.
"After the qualification rounds, the Tigertronics were ranked 30th, yet were picked as an alliance team member for the quarterfinals due to their design, drive capability, and most importantly, their gracious professionalism," said Sunny Pandya, a BAE Systems mentor for the Tigertronics team. The Tigertronics passed through the quarterfinals and semifinals with two consecutive match wins in each best-of-three series.
"The Tigertronics displayed their true versatility by consistent lap counts and defense against the opposing alliance's ball hurdling capabilities," Pandya said. The final match of the regional resulted in a 1-1 tie, during which a robot run by a Tigertronics' ally was badly damaged. An alternate team stepped in and the score for the third and final match resulted in a 66-60 decision in favor of the Tigertronics and its allies.
Techtronic’s allies are: the Rocketeers from Shenendehowa High School, in Clifton Park, NY; the X-Cats from Wilson Commencement Academy in Rochester, New York; and the Arctic Warriors from Liverpool High School in Liverpool, New York.
BAE Systems sponsors two local U.S. FIRST teams: the Union-Endicott High School Tigertronics, and Ithaca High School's Code Red Robotics.
For further information, please contact:
Marlene Turock, BAE Systems
Tel +1 607-770-2650
Fax +1 607-770-3524
marlene.turock@baesystems.com
