In March of 2007, Royal Assault, traveled to the first annual Bayou Regional in New Orleans, Louisiana. 37 teams attending this regional, including 13 rookies, were sure to make this a fun and exciting event. Upon arriving on Wednesday, the team was so eager get started that they volunteered to help set up the regional being held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The purple and gold of Royal Assault was seen and heard in a variety of places throughout the competition.

Thursday is universally understood to be the most hectic day in FIRST robotics, whether it is testing new autonomous code, finishing parts of your robot; or in the case of one team, building it. Members of Royal Assault along with many other teams helped team 2060 literally build their robot from the ground up in one day. The dedication and hard work of the entire regional gave them a chance to compete and have even more fun with their experience. Our mentor, Mrs. Troy volunteered as pit administrator, working diligently to keep the regional running smoothly. On the field, members of the team volunteered, inflating inner tubes, and resetting the field after each match.

Friday started out with a bang, literally. The regional was kicked off by a marching band and cheerleading squad from a local high school, followed by the judges throwing beads from Mardi Gras floats. The crowd was on their feet, ready to kick off the regional event. The qualifying rounds brought tons of excitement, and teams began forming dynamic strategies as the game was being played. By the end of the day, scores and spirits soared. After 52 matches, it was time for the awards. Royal Assault was honored three times that day, and what honors they were. The Delphi “Driving Tomorrow’s Technology” Award was presented for the unique, molded, linear motion bearing dubbed “Jester Glide.” Here is what the Judges had to say, “When plastic and fiber meet, the glide moves smoothly to the patent office.” The next award the judges placed upon our team was the Website Award. Special thanks from the team to student Jon Knippschild for all of his hard efforts. The team was already ecstatic from the previous two awards as they moved to announce the final award, the Woodie Flowers Award. Andy Baker, a national Woodie Flowers Award winner, had this to say about the winning mentor. “He not only creates molds to make robot rollers and components, he molds is students into dynamic, confident members of his team and the FIRST community." Royal Assault mentor, Michael Crane, was presented this prestigious honor and the team could not have been more proud.

Saturday brought upon the excitement of the final qualifying matches and the prospect of upcoming elimination rounds. Before the alliance selection, Royal Assault made a special presentation to rookie team 2221,Fountainebleau High School, with a check for $700.00.They were selected due to their strong will to compete, even though they were only 4 students and 2 mentors strong. Inspiring young teams is an integral part of Royal Assault’s goal to help sustain the FIRST community. Together, both teams shared stories of their rookie years and pledged to help each other in any way possible.

By the end of the qualifying rounds, the team’s record did not make them an alliance captain, but placed them in prime position to be picked. They were chosen by the 5th seeded alliance, and were partnered with teams 1421 and 231. Royal Assault was the driving force behind the alliance, providing 0detailed strategies along with lifting power. Together they fought their way into the semi-finals, losing to the Regional Winners. Defeated, Royal Assault did not hang their heads low, knowing they performed to the best of their abilities and lost to a strong alliance. Congratulations are due to teams 1912, 462, and 1683 for their outstanding performance, and also congratulations to team 462 for winning the Regional Chairman’s Award. This event proved to be a great success as well as a fun experience for the team, and they were glad to help make this regional a great success.

Article by Joe Gro
Posted on 2007-03-24