The Green Machine’s eleventh season got off to a great start October 10 the Minnesota Robotics Invitational hosted by Roseville Area High School. Along with 33 other teams, we competed in the 2015 game, Recycle Rush. At this event, FIRST Robotics Competition rookies from all teams were able to get their first glimpse at an FRC competition. Some of our rookies became fully immersed in the experience and tried driving our 2015 robot, Zebruh, which isn’t always the most rookie-friendly robot to take out for driving lessons. Our new programmers also had a chance to find out what it means to figure out a stubborn problem with only minutes left before a match. After qualification matches, we were picked to compete in the playoffs by Team 2502 — Talon, along with Teams 4778 — Stormbots and 2491 — No Mythic. We made it all the way to the finals, where our alliance took it to three matches only to fall a few points short of winning the competition. It was a successful and exciting event for all who attended!
Team members also got the chance to attend seminars hosted by Team 2220 — Blue Twilight. Both rookies and veterans were able to learn more about everything from control systems to FIRST safety. The teams who attended shared their own practices in an open-forum setting. Everyone, especially rookies, left these seminars with new knowledge on how to improve their team. FRC competitions are engaging beyond the field, and the MRI was no exception.