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On March 11th-13th, the Pirates of the Pythagorean traveled to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for their first-ever official competition. After spending all of Thursday making repairs and a shaky start on Friday, the team managed to pull together and make an impact on the game, bringing them up to 14th place. The team was also a huge part of one of the best matches in the competition, winning it 5-4. Team 3125 was 9th pick, landing them on the 8th seed alliance, and the alliance was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the team that went on to win the tournament. Thank you to our alliance partners, Teams 2104 and 1995, for picking us for their alliance!
Despite being eliminated early-on, the team learned many valuable lessons throughout the competition, as well as many things to improve before the Northern Utilities Connecticut Regional, which takes place April 1st-3rd at the Connecticut Convention Center. The team really bonded at the competition, becoming stronger than ever before.
The team's biggest accomplishment was winning the Rookie All-Star award, an award that celebrates a rookie team that looks like they've been a member of FIRST for a long time. Because of a combination of presentation, community outreach, knowledge about the robot, and the hard work of many team members, Team 3125 won the award, which qualified them for the World Championship in Atlanta, GA. In Atlanta, the team will also compete against the other Rookie All-Star teams from the other 42 regionals for the Championship Rookie All-Star award, so the team is hard at work in preparation. Don't be surprised if the team brings a few new things to the table between now and then.
In addition, our team captain, Eric Gehrken, was a Finalist for the Dean's List award. The Dean's List Award is given to ten students who, through their involvement with FIRST, have inspired fellow team members, demonstrated leadership qualities, and made a difference within their teams. Teams nominate up to two students per team based on those principals, and two Finalists are selected at each of the 43 regional events. Eric will be competing against 85 other students at the FIRST World Championship in Atlanta. To even be selected as a Finalist is an honor, so congrats to Eric! |
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Written by Lauren
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On Saturday, February 20th, the Pirates of the Pythagorean competed in the preseason event, Suffield Shakedown, hosted by Team 176, Aces High, from Suffield, CT. The team competed against 29 other teams from New England and was one of two rookie teams to put a robot on the field. The team also made an impressive showing of spirit with the help of parents, siblings and friends. In addition, the Pirates of the Pythagorean advanced to the elimination rounds after being picked by 2nd seed, Team 178, the 2nd Law Enforcers of Farmington, CT. Thanks to the team's alliance captain, Team 178, and alliance partner, Team 177, the Bobcats out of South Windsor, CT, the Pirates of the Pythagorean raked in their first win as a team, an impressive feat for a rookie team. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard during the season. After everything the team has been through together, to pull off a win is an impressive feat, especially as a rookie team.
However, as many people may or may not know, the team owes an extreme amount of thanks to Team 175, who, in a show of true gracious professionalism, drove out to Suffield just to donate a rolling tool case to the team in memory of Vikas Parikh. The team honestly cannot thank them enough.
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Written by Cody
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As many of you know, Team 3125 suffered a great loss on January 9th, 2010. While traveling to the local kickoff event in Farmington, the team's bus was involved in a collision that forced the bus into a ravine. One of our own was unable to return home that day. Vikas Parikh, the team's assistant technical director, will be remembered forever by team members, teachers, students, and others for his outgoing nature and incredible intelligence. Vikas was laid to rest on January 12th, and a memorial display in the main lobby of our school stands in his honor. The family has asked that donations be made to the Habitat for Humanity.
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Despite this tragedy, the accident has brought together the members of our team, along with members of teams across the country and even from abroad. The immense support we have received from corporations, friends, and other FRC teams have made the loss a bearable event. We thank all of you for your prayers and well-wishes for Vikas and the injured members, both student and mentor, of our team that were affected by the tragic events of January 9th.
The Seatbelt Bill |
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Written by Cody
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Congratulations to the Team 3125 representatives who ceded 3rd place out of 26 teams at the 13th annual RiverRage Competition in Manchester, NH, the birthplace of FIRST Robotics. The team, operating Infinite Loop's (Team 2648) 2009 robot, impressed veteran teams and judges by quickly mastering the game.
2009 Post-Season Drive Team:
Team 3125 wishes to thank Team 2648, Infinite Loop, for graciously allowing us to use their robot for RiverRage, and providing robot transportation. We also thank our eliminations alliance partner, Team 190 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, for a great competition day. |
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Written by Cody
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What is the meaning of the term "success?" Is it doing what you're told? Achieving fame and fortune? Always working as hard and as well as you can? The Greater Hartford Academy of Mathematics and Science, located in southern Hartford, CT, believes that success is a lifelong process of constantly trying as hard as we can to better ourselves and our world, and this belief is the driving force behind our unique education.
To achieve this goal, our students set short- and long-term goals to help them achieve their intended career paths, many of which are in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Thus, our students have developed a keen interest in working with local industry partners to gain hands-on experience in the engineering world. Thus the Pirates of the Pythagorean were born!
The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is an international organized sporting event that closely parallels our principles of success at GHAMAS, and provides us with the opportunity of a lifetime: to work on actual engineering challenges with strict deadlines, and then have the opportunity to compete against like-minded students at fun events.
The FIRST Robotics Competition embraces gracious professionalism, a quality intrinsic to GHAMAS but unfortunately seldom seen in the outside world. FIRST's philosophy of helping oppoonent teams and supporting one another makes the competition a more light-hearted and therefore educational experience for all. For more information about our team or FIRST in general, click the links at the top of this page.
"Our mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership."
- USFIRST Mission Statement
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