Orange County District Competition

Orange County District Competition

Title: The Hitchhikers Robotics Team Takes Orange County by Storm!

Hey everyone! If you’ve been following the journey of The Hitchhikers robotics team, you know that we’re always up for a challenge and a good time. Well, let me tell you about our recent adventure at the Orange County District event in North Carolina – it was an absolute blast!

From the moment we arrived at the event venue, the excitement was palpable. The air was buzzing with the sounds of teams setting up their pits and fine-tuning their robots for the competition ahead. We wasted no time getting settled in and getting to know our fellow teams, exchanging stories and strategies while eagerly anticipating the matches to come.

As the competition kicked off, The Hitchhikers wasted no time making our presence known on the field. Our robot, affectionately dubbed “Max Quordlepleen” performed flawlessly (at first), zipping around the arena and completing tasks with precision and speed. But it wasn’t just about the competition – it was about the camaraderie and spirit of the event.

It was amazing to see teams from different backgrounds coming together, united by their passion for robotics and friendly competition.

Of course, the matches themselves were where the real excitement happened. The tension was palpable as alliances strategized and executed their game plans with precision. But win or lose, the spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie prevailed, with teams cheering each other on and celebrating each other’s successes.

And let’s not forget about the awards ceremony – the moment we had all been waiting for. The Hitchhikers may not have taken home the top prize, but we were proud of our performance and grateful for the experience. We did win the “Gracious Professionalism” award. Plus, we walked away with a newfound sense of determination and inspiration to keep improving and pushing the limits of what we can achieve.

As we packed up our pit and said our farewells, we couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia mixed with excitement for the next adventure. The Orange County District event in North Carolina was truly an unforgettable experience for The Hitchhikers robotics team, filled with fun, friendship, and a whole lot of robot action. We can’t wait to see where our journey takes us next!

Until next time, keep reaching for the stars and never stop exploring the exciting world of robotics!

– The Hitchhikers Robotics Team

(written by Chatgpt)

2023 Season – FIRST World Championships

2023 Season – FIRST World Championships

Hello from Houston!

The Hitchhikers made it the World Championships, but things didn’t go as expected. On the first day, Lunkwill arrived safe and sound, and the team got busy setting up the pit. At the end of the day, we decided to take the robot over to the fields for a test run, and that was when disaster struck. On his way to the grid to place a cone, Lunkwill glitched out, the arm rose to the 90 degree position and fully extended. When we got back to the pit, we were in shock: when the arm rose up, it had sheared off the box on the side that had the pulley motor and gearbox attached. We went back to the hotel, frantically planning how we would fix it the next morning. We managed to fix the arm, and later in the day, the same thing happened…TRAGEDY.

2023 Season – NC District Championship

2023 Season – NC District Championship

We had a lot of fun at the state championship. We were chosen in the 5th alliance, with Team 900, The Zebracorns, and Team 5518, Technowolves. Sadly, we got eliminated in Round 2 after a robot had a CAN error. We lost by 8 points after another robot hit us and we started up again. After that, we narrowly qualified for Worlds and headed to a restaurant to celebrate. We’re all hyped for Houston! 

2022 NC State Championship

2022 NC State Championship

After two competitions where we struggled with robot issues, we were excited to get a chance to go to the 2022 state finals!

Finally, it was time for the competition to start! On the day of load-in, we were ready for the competition and in high spirits, but we were also slightly apprehensive. We knew that we had a team history of getting difficult match schedules, especially at States, so it was with a nervous, eager anticipation that we waited for the match schedule to be released. Eventually, it was released late that night, and we immediately started looking over our schedule and comparing it to other teams’ schedules.

As expected, we had our ups and downs throughout the day. There were times that we performed quite well, times we were up against a tough alliance.  We also had a few matches where mechanical issues prevented us from showing and achieving our full potential.

Alliance selections quickly followed the end of qualification rounds, and we ended up getting picked at the end by the 2nd Alliance! We ended up in the finals! But came up short and placed 2nd overall in the competition. We won  the Imagery Award and missed qualifying for the World Championships in Houston by a few points.