Tempest 'N Tampa 2008

This past weekend was the 2008 Tempest 'N Tampa (TNT) off-season robotics competition held at the USF Sun Dome and hosted by FIRST robotics team 79, Team Krunch. This was the 2nd time this event has been held and it is sure to become an off-season event to be modeled after.

Friday

The TechTigers departed from school at 9am [fortunately, Broward County schools did not have class that day] and arrived at the Sun Dome around 2pm. Upon settling into the pit, establishing the 1251 sleep zone [TNT is a lock-in event], and helping with the event setup wherever it was needed, the TechTigers were on a mission to storm Tempest 'N Tampa.

Being a lock-in event, all the teams slept in the Sun Dome in staked out areas. Entertainment was provided well into night, including Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Human Overdrive (a human version of the robot competition), a FIRST Overdrive computer game programmed by Lockheed Martin engineers, mentor matches, and many other activities. It was a great way to socialize with other teams and take a break in the middle of competition.

Saturday

Opening ceremonies started at 8:15am and after a time-consuming field error matches started around 9am. The competition was fast paced, with teams putting their all into this last chance to fully play FIRST'S 2008 game FIRST Overdrive. At the end of the qualifying matches, 1251 was seeded 2nd with a 6-1-0 record. Alliance selections yielded the 2nd seeded alliance of 1251, 179 [Children of the Swamp] and 1029 [Wolvcats]. After advancing to the semi-finals, the TechTigers, Children of the Swamp, and Wolvcats lost 1-2 to the 3rd seeded alliance of 233 [The Pink Team], 744 [Shark Attack], and 1999 [Outer Limit]. This 3rd seeded alliance went on to become the 2008 TNT winners - congrats to 233, 744, and 1999!

Following a rather eventful finals round, the awards ceremony took place and TNT 2008 came to an end. The TechTigers had an awesome time, with the new drive team learning how to function in a regional-like atmosphere, those new to the team getting as realistic a feel of a robotics competition, and who can forget the dances at intermissions? Overall, TNT 2008 was a grand success and the TechTigers were happy to have been a part of it.

Check back soon; pics to come in a separate post.