Team Sprocket was delighted to attend a FIRST off-season competition, Fall Classic. This is Team Sprocket's first time attending Fall Classic since 2015. The event, which was held the last week of September at Valencia High School, was hosted by 4470: TiGears, a local robotics team from Placentia.
Each day of the event was its own competition, with Team Sprocket participating on both days. On Saturday the 28th, Team Sprocket ended 21st out of the 24 teams that attended. However, on Sunday, Team Sprocket finished the qualifying matches fourth, allowing them to be one of the alliance captains.
Although Team Sprocket did not make it to the final match Sunday, the team reached a high rank and gained invaluable experience in preparation for the 2020 competition season.
The Fall Classic event was also a golden opportunity for the new backup drive team to practice working in a competition environment. “It felt good to represent the team and make it to semifinals,“ said Kathleen Suwoko, a new secondary operator. “The support I had from our team in the stands blew me away.”
In addition to the responsibility of driving the robot, other team members worked in the pits and on the stands. Scouters diligently watched each match, recording the performance of other teams, while the pit crew worked to maintain the robot after each match. Technician John Uy expressed his satisfaction after the competition: “The responsibility I felt as a technician made me pretty happy. The competition was overall a good experience. ”