WPI District Championship Wrap-Up

  Team "Orange Chaos" had another great showing at the New England Championship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).  Competition was fierce with 60 outstanding robots from Connecticut to Maine.  The team finished 13th in qualifying rounds and was chosen by the 3rd place alliance captain for the playoffs (the only Maine team in the finals!)  Our alliance was eliminated during the quarter finals when a maximum scoring stack of totes and bins was knocked over accidentally. 

The team finished the season ranked  13th out of 175 teams in New England!!  All should be very proud.   The team is well known through out the region for designing, building and programming highly competitive robots and only being three years old.  

The season was very successful with a district qualifying event win (Pine Tree in Lewiston), a district qualifier finalist (second place at UNH), two 'Innovation in Control' awards, one at each of the qualifying events attended; primarily due to the efforts of Jacob Cote, Kendra Hansen and the teams programming mentor Steve Jacobs.  The Innovation in Controls award: Celebrates an innovative control system or application of control components – electrical, mechanical, or software – to provide unique machine functions.  Orange Chaos was also involved in two infamous events that lit-up the robotics chat rooms; the mysterious Power Outage that halted a match and "Button Gate".  

 One of our team members, Drew Bennett, was chosen as a Dean's List Award Finalist at the NE Championships.  This award celebrates outstanding student leaders whose passion for and effectiveness at attaining FIRST ideals is exemplary.  His nomination package and interview will be judged at the World Competition in St Louis where the final award winners will receive full scholarships.

The team has earned an invitation to the St. Louis World Championship April 22-25.  Unfortunately, due to registration cost of  another $5000 and mentors  inability to take more vacation time off from their employment, we are opting out.  We will hope and plan to go next year.  So start thinking fundraisers!!  Registration alone for the 2 qualifying events, District Championship and World Championships is $14,000!!  Team members need to use connections to businesses to help solicit more sponsors for next year.  You are tomorrows employees and innovators. 
Congratulations on an outstanding 2015 season!   
                       
 THANK YOU mentors for all your dedication and volunteer efforts for team 4564!!!