Texas Power Rankings Week 7 - PreChampionship Rankings

Texas Power Rankings Week 7 - PreChampionship Rankings

Recently, I've been tied up with school work and things of that nature. Here is my take on the teams of Texas after week 7 of  Ultimate Ascent. Changed the format this week and would love feedback(not that anyone actually reads this). The top ten will now get nice little paragraphs and we will expand the selection to top 25 teams.

Power Rankings
1. 118- Robonauts (-)

Winners of 3 regionals and consistently had a strong showing against the other Texas teams. Texas' best chance at  taking a World Championship lies with the veteran team from League City, Texas. The ceiling can't hold the Robonauts this year.
2. 1477- Texas Torque (+3)

Four Regionals. Four was the magic number for Torque this year, earning their spot at Championship by winning the Razorback Regional in week 6. I absolutely love watching their driver glide past defense with ease and score a volley for 12 points. With Their floor loading, 30 point wing and 42 point middle autonomous expect this team to be a quick pick up at World.

3. 148- RoboWranglers (-1)

Full court showcase. That's what the Robowranglers, winner of two regionals, bring to the table. With their tall full court shooter, team 148 made it rain threes this season and almost seemed unstoppable until they were blocked by 118's tall third pick during the Silicon Valley semi-finals. The only complaint I have with the Greenville machine is that it is top heavy and has been tipped over multiple times this year. However, I'll still love the Robowranlgers and if they play their cards right, we could see them on Einstein for the first time in 5 years.

4. 624- CRyptonite (-1)

This is a love hate relationship with the team from Katy, Texas. When are left alone they can score on par with the Robonauts. However, their driver this year seems easily shutdown by any sort of defense. After a heart breaking loss to the fourth seed at Alamo, 624 missed their chance to auto-qualify for Championship. With only 14 slots left for open registration, CRyptonite will most likely miss out on a Championship appearance for the first time in 5 years.
5. 2468- Appreciate (+17)

Second best full court shooter in all of Texas. After defeating the powerhouse alliance of 1477 and 624, Appreciate seized their first ever regional win at Alamo. Watch for this team to dial into the two point goal and get picked up on the back end of the draft in their division.

6. 3310- Black Hawk (-2)

After a decent showing at Hub City, Black Hawk and 148 dominated Dallas and won against the likes of 704 and 3802. I'm not so sure that they will get picked up at Championship but with their rate of improvement, they could see a spot on the 1-5 alliances as a third bot.
7. 4063- TriKzR4Kidz (-)

Bunnies Galore, the second year team from Del Rio, Texas has landed into the mix of some of the best teams in Texas. They teamed up with Exploding Bunny Appreciation to win Alamo in dramatic fashion. I believe this team will bring 50-75 points a match to their alliances. (18 point auto, ability to score 45+ in teleop, 10 point hang.) Sadly, I don't expect them to get picked in their division, but this game has proven me wrong on multiple occasions. But don't let me rain on your parade. You've had a great showing this year and it has the potential to be even better.
8. 3847- Spectrum (+10)

Most Impressive. Spectrum made two finals appearances this year and lost to the three best teams from the power rankings in those matches. It seems that like 624, their season is also over with so few spots to fill at Champs. They showed stunning improvment this year as they went from playing defense at Lone Star to hot shot three point shooter at Razorback.
9. 231- High Voltage (-1)

I thought this was the season for 231. They looked so strong at the end of Lone Star, but they were knocked out in the semi-finals again. Maybe it's a strategy thing or not being on the right alliances, but one thing's for sure High Voltage definitely impressed me this year. On a personal note, I loved the dramatic last second hanging shots.
10. 2587- Discobots  (-5)What in the world happened here? The discobots looked amazing at Lone Star and were easily the one of the best scorers there. But what happened at alamo? After the cake walk of schedules that were handed out at Alamo, in which 4 to 6 teams could have easily gone undefeated, 2587 finished as 2 the second seed. That looks fantastic on paper, but upon closer inspection this team's performance was relatively stagnant and most of their points were from autonomous and hanging. Now, don't get me wrong. They were still one of the better robots at Alamo and had a good showing in the eliminations, but I know they had the potential to be even greater. All in all, the discobots can feel free to light a fire on the dance floor because they still had a season to be proud of.
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11. 704- Warriors (-)

Great season for the Warriors who just missed qualifying for Championship. Finalist at Dallas.
12. 2789- Texplosion (+4)

Best defense in the league. Just watch 'em shut down 624 in semi 1-2. It is simply as art of destruction

13. 2936- Gatorzillas (-3)

Chairman's winners qualify for champs. But this page is all about the robot. Good showing at Lone Star and Dallas. Expect the Gatorzillas to hang around the top ten next year and maybe climb even higher.

14. 3997- Screaming Chickens (NR)
With the Wild Card bid 3997 qualified for Champs at Alamo. They put together a great robot this season.
15. 57-Leopards (-6)

I feel like the finalist alliance captains were scratching their heads after their performance at Alamo. They put together a well thought out alliance at Alamo, but couldn't match the fire power of the 1st seed.
16. 1429- Chaos (-2)
The three time Chairman's winners had a good robot this season. It was just out shined by the other teams.
17. 2848- All Sparks (-2)
After missing Champs for the second year in a row, one has to wonder what's up with 2848?

18. 3802- RoboPop (-6)
Hey. You were a nice surprise at Dallas this year, but after watching match video I feel I was generous in my previous ranking. But this could be a sign of things to come.
19. 1801- Dapper Dans (-6)
If a team wants defense at championship then their gonna pick the Dapper Dans. Potential 18 point auto + 10 point hang + The Dapper Dan Effect = Getting picked up at Championship as a third bot.

20. 1296- Full Metal Jackets (-1)
They're just so close to a finals appearance every year. At this point, I'd start hating the semi-finals.
21. 457- Grease Monkeys (NR)
Showed improvement from Lone Star. 12 point auto, 10 point hang, and a 3 point shooter looked good on the Grease Monkeys.
22. 2582- Pantherbots (-5)
Hey a 60 second hang is nothing to scoff at. They did well this season. But I ranked 30 point climbers too high last time.
23. 4587- Jersey Voltage (-3)
Rookie sensation for me this season. In the future, they might climb the rankings.
24. 3481- Broncbots (NR)
Well the semi-finalist of Archimedes last year put on a good show at the end of Alamo. Losing half your engineering mentorship is hard to overcome.

25. 1745- P-51 Mustangs (+1)
I didn't get too picky at the end but I liked the mustangs this year.

Others who barely missed the cut: 3103, 3335, 3545, 1817, 647

Texas Power Rankings Week 4

If I were to rate the overall effectiveness of a robots impact upon their regional and the matches they participate in then it would look something like this. Here's my top 20 Texas teams.

Power Rankings
1. 118- Robonauts
2. 148- RoboWranglers
3. 624- CRyptonite
4. 3310- Black Hawk
T-5. 2587- Discobots
T-5. 1477- Texas Torque
7. 4063- TriKzR4Kidz
8. 231- High Voltage
9. 57-Leopards
10. 2936- Gatorzillas
11. 704- Warriors
12. 3802- RoboPop
13. 1801- Dapper Dans
14. 1429- Chaos
15. 2848- All Sparks
16. 2789- Texplosion
17. 2582- Pantherbots
18. 3847- Spectrum
19. 1296- Full Metal Jackets
20. 4587- Jersey Voltage


Others who barely missed the cut: 1745, 2468, 3103

Alamo Regional 2013

So I totally forgot I had a blog, but to be fair no one reads this anyway so I think my readers are okay with me not posting. With that however, I do want to make a post about once a week maybe even more. It's just sometimes I simply do not have the time with 12 hours of classes, 30 hours of work, and mentoring 624. So in advance I'm sorry if I do not stick to my goals.

That being said the 2013 Alamo regional will be held in San Antonio this weekend and what was supposed to be a dull regional with the absence of some of the bigger name teams is actually turning out to be a nice set up for a photo finish race to the Championship. What was the cause of this sudden spark of excitement?

Well a couple of things.

Reasons for a Dramatic Finish in Texas

1. Texas powerhouse teams like 624 and 1477 who qualify for championship every year have yet to qualify at their previous two regionals. I expect both of these veteran teams to be hungry for their first win of the season. They'll be bringing a game better than their A game unless they want to miss championship for the first time in five years.

2. A previous Texas powerhouse team 57, came so close to finally reclaiming their hometown regional from their rivals 118. After pairing up with team 2587, this 3rd seed alliance cruised to finals where they ended up getting dismantled by the dangers duo of 148 and 118. Both of these teams are on the rise to stardom in Texas. Expect them to try step out of the shadow of the four Texas powerhouses.

3. The twin bots, 801 and 1592 have decided to take on the teams of Texas in their second regional of 2013. After being run over by a car on Thursday, these robots were literally built at the Orlando regional so it's my belief that they have not shown how great they both are. The twins will show Texas what Florida is made of as they look to claim the title Alamo Regional Champions.

4. One of the recent additions to FRC, team 4063 is looking for it's first regional win after it finished a finalist at Hub City. Unfortunately, I never got a real good look at their robot so I don't have much to say about how well they will preform at Alamo. However, if Hub City was a sign of things to expect from this team then I could easily see them giving the veteran teams a run for their money.

All of these elements are set to collide in San Antonio this weekend and only 3 victors can be crowned. Who will take home the banner this reigional? No one knows but one thing is for sure, saddle up because in the heart of Texas you're in for a wild ride.

FIRST!

See what I did in the title there? With the using of the name of the organization but also having it be my first post eh?... Yea I know I'm not funny.

I would just like to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit this blog and read the mindless posts I will be writing  about FRC. That being said I would like to define in this first post a couple of things before I start posting.

My Credentials: I am a former student of team 624, CRyptonite. I was also a mentor for team 1817, Roboraiders. I have had the privilege of enjoying the company of both these teams and many others in the FRC universe. Currently, I attend Texas Tech University and am in my second year of college. I will go into further detail of myself in the About Me page when I figure out how to do that.

Well now that you know a little more about me, I can explain what I hope this blog will be. I'll do that in the next post.