Catching Fire

Hello!

I'm so blown away. This weekend was indescribable. My team and I competed at the Westtown district competition. I have so many stories to share with you!

On Friday, the girls and mentors gathered in the shop and worked on packing. They were much more organized this time. They took the time to pack things that they forgot last time. Every item had a specific box that it needed to go in. They actually finished a while before they needed to leave, so they decided to have a little adventure! The girls walked 15 minutes down the street to get snacks and food. It was so funny because it kind of looked like a parade! They were in their tutus, tiaras, team shirts, and hats! Once they had fueled up and returned, they loaded into their cars and drove to Westtown. I was with all of the bins and tools. It was a longer drive than last time, so I took a nap. Once we arrived, the girls carried everything into the building. I came in last. By the time I got in, the girls were already setting up. Before I knew it, the tent was up with its lights and signs hanging nicely. Not long after that, the girls pulled me over to the scale and had me weighed for inspection. Once the inspector checked all of my electronics, mechanisms, and features, I was able to get started. My team went to the hanging bar and had me practice. A lot of trial and error occurred all throughout the weekend with my hanger, but my team always found a way to improve my design. Friday was a funny day. The girls said it was called April Fools Day. I don't really understand it, but I'm glad no one pranked me. I got to go on the field before the end of the night. When I was finished, I went back to the pit and snuggled up in my crate for a long night. The girls sang some songs in the pit together (kind of like a lullaby) before they left. I was so excited to start the competition!

Saturday was crazy. I had a bunch of things that I needed to do. The day started with practice matches. I had two of them. They were both great opportunities for me to get warmed up for the real deal. After opening ceremonies, I had to start my qualification matches. All throughout the day, I tried a bunch of different things. I used many of my autonomous programs. I tested various strategies. I figured out what worked and what didn't. Along the way, a few things needed to be repaired, but nothing was too bad. I crossed a lot of defenses, scored a ton of goals, played some defense, and earned a bunch of points. The girls worked so hard during every match so that the team could be ranked well. I wasn't as nervous as I was last competition because I knew what I needed to do. I got to see some of the same robots as the last competition, as well as some new ones! Some of the old ones got new features since I last saw them. The scouters took notes on all of my robot friends. The time between matches was precious for my team. They were always testing things out, from autonomous to hanging to my drive train to my boulder intake. Just like last time, the girls spent a lot of time dancing, cheering, and singing in the stands.

Today, Sunday, was a big day. I had my last few qualification matches in the morning. They all went well, and my alliances did what they had to do. My team was very proud of everything that I accomplished during the qualification matches. I was not picked for an alliance, but it was ok. My team made the time that they had with me in the afternoon count. While some girls were supporting teams and cheering in the stands, other girls stayed back with me. The programmers got to test their code on me, and a few mechanisms were repaired. Eventually, the time came for awards to be given out. My team waited patiently in the stands for the results. For their positive attitudes all throughout the weekend and the team's family-like energy, the team was awarded the Spirit Award! I was so proud of the girls! After everything was cleaned up and packed, we journeyed back home and unloaded everything.

Competitions rock! I have one more district next weekend at Montgomery! I can't wait!

XOXO
Lumos

P.S. Annie is compiling her videos from the competition as we speak. She will have them ready soon. As soon as it is finished, we will share it with you!