Trobotix advances to state
After winning runner-up for the Think Award at the Super-Qualifying Tournament, Trobotix has secured a spot at State.
Trobotix takes a team photo after advancing to the state level for FTC Robotics.
February 20, 2023
After weeks of rebuilding the robot, planning outreach events, restructuring the team’s engineering portfolio and revamping the pit area, FIRST Tech Challenge team Trobotix was ready to take on the Super-Qualifying Tournament Feb. 18.
After facing trouble with the autonomous period, where the robot scores points using a coded program without a Human Driver, Trobotix went 3-3 in their qualification matches. They were picked to continue competing by an Alliance Captain, one of the top four ranked teams. However, Trobotix’s Alliance Team lost two of the three semi-finalist matches, leaving them at rank 11 out of 24 total teams.
Unlike other sports or competitions, high rankings or winning the tournament does not guarantee advancement to the next level. Listed in the Advancement Strategy section (Page 25) of Game Manual 1, teams are prioritized based on either being a part of the Winning Alliance or at least being a finalist for an award. The awards, in order of most importance to least, are Inspire, Think, Connect, Innovate, Control, Motivate, and Design. Think Award’s criteria is listed as a team whose engineering portfolio provides specific examples of the engineering design process and discusses the overall team’s lessons learned and goals for fundraising, outreach, engineering, and individual skills.
Only 16 teams out of 24 at the Super-Qualifying Tournament qualify for the Iowa State Tournament. With a rank of 11 and not being on the Winning Alliance Team, Trobotix’s season would have ended. Instead, they won runner-up for Think; Trobotix has now secured a spot to State. The State Tournament is at the Xtreme Arena March 3 and 4.
Team Captain Jinann Abudagga ’24 is excited at the opportunity to continue competing and see some of the best robots in action at State. “State will hopefully be a great opportunity to improve our skills as a team and a fun way to meet new teams.”
Follow @westhighrobotics on Instagram or check out their website for more information about Trobotix, their upcoming season plans, and updates on their path to victory.
