GPS Robotics

On the 16^th of November 2024, the GPS Robotics team participated in their first ever VEX Robotics competition! The results of the robotics competition might surprise you. With that being said, what took place at the Carrollwood Clash?

To clarify, our team members wore pink eye-black (some more than others) in order to show team spirit, on account of our new team color and shirts coming very soon!

This event took place at Carrollwood Day School in Lake Magdalene, Florida, and consisted of 39 qualifying rounds with 22 teams, and 16 of those teams qualified for the main competition based on performance and wins/losses. In the main competition, the 16 teams formed alliances with another which in return broke down to an 8 team elimination bracket. And while our team “Viltrumites” was unfortunately unable to make it past the qualifying matches, our very own VEX Team “Metalheads” was able to pursue farther than the majority of the participating teams!

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The top 16 qualifying teams and their stats can be found below:

Rank	Team	Name	W-L-T	WPs . APs . SPs
1	727G	Terrapin Gold	7-0-0	17 / 27 / 87
2	229V	ACE Robotics	7-0-0	15 / 30 / 59
3	229X	GALACTIC	6-1-0	14 / 33 / 38
4	727R	Whole Lotta Red	6-1-0	14 / 30 / 78
5	727C	Terrapin Crimson	6-1-0	13 / 39 / 61
6	6104B	Cyclone	4-2-1	9 / 27 / 30
7	89768K	GPS-Navigators	4-3-0	8 / 18 / 66
8	6104G	Tempest	4-3-0	8 / 15 / 91
9	429B	Berkeley B	4-3-0	8 / 12 / 63
10	19122B	Metal-Heads	3-4-0	7 / 24 / 71
11	33613S	Team Solaris	3-4-0	7 / 18 / 49
12	1643S	Shadow Tech	3-4-0	7 / 18 / 21
13	429A	RoboBucs	2-5-0	6 / 24 / 60
14	33613N	Team Polaris	3-4-0	6 / 21 / 24
15	2672B	LED Robotics B	2-4-1	6 / 15 / 32
16	2672C	LED Robotics C	2-4-1	6 / 12 / 51

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All results, schedules, and more can be found by clicking on the link below:

https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/vex-robotics-competition/RE-V5RC-24-7837.html#general-info

In the 8 team elimination bracket, team “Metalheads” (89768K) from the GPS-Navigators, chose the team “Cyclones” (6104B) as their alliance partner. This alliance pushed both teams past the quarter-finals into the semi-finals! However, they were shortly stopped by an alliance of the teams “Terrapin Gold” (727 C) and “ACE Robotics” (229V), the top two teams in the whole competition! The skill of the opponents that came with this competition was expected, however the GPS Robotics team pushed through and placed in the semi-finals in their first ever VEX Competition.

What Did We Learn?

Both of our own VEX Teams were asked for three things about the experience they gained and what they learned about the VEX competitions, alongside a quote from both team leaders of the “Viltrumites” and the “Metalheads.” Here’s what they said:

Team “Viltrumites” had three main takeaways from the Carrollwood Clash:

• Talk to other competitors and take advice from teams.
• Analyze robots to gain insights on how you can improve your own design.
• Every loss is an opportunity to grow.

“That was rough”

-Devin Lemos, Leader of Team “Viltrumites” VEX Robotics Team.

Team “Metalheads” had three additional takeaways from GPS’s first VEX Competition.

• Better teamwork/planning, including with other teams.
• Aim for a gear ratio prioritizing speed rather than torque.
• Make a decent autonomous code, that’s where the points are at.

“Never underestimate competition.”

-William Vaughn, Leader of Team “Metalheads” VEX Robotics Team.

While neither of our VEX teams came out on top, our team left that competition with a new mindset and new information that will prove vital for future VEX Competitions, and this valuable information is a win in itself. Every single one of our team members had loads of fun at our first ever VEX Competition and look forward to our next one on the upcoming Saturday, November 23^rd. We can’t wait to apply our newfound knowledge to our next competition!