Most of the team arrived Tuesday afternoon, giving us plenty of time to see the sights on Wednesday. We got right down to business on thursday, though.

After missing our first match due to a hiding bumper, we got right back on track.

At the end of qualifications, our record was 5-4-0, and we were ranked 42nd, however, we were picked in the first round by team 195, the 7th ranked team. When the picking was over, the 7th ranked alliance was Team 195, Team 2046 and Team 2415.

In our elimination matches, we found ourselves facing the formidable alliance of 1114  2056, and 4334. we lost our first match 86-61, in part due to our foe’s successful triple balance. Then, disaster struck. We sprung a pneumatics leak. we were not successful in fixing it during our timeout, so we played without our multitool, or the ability to turn our turret. Although we lost that match 90-79, we finally found the elusive triple balance.

All in all, we had a successful year, and even though we didn’t win, it was still one amazing experience. I mean, seriously, how many people can say that they have watched a FRC game while there was a tornado going on directly above their heads?

~Gabe H.

WEDNESDAY: We dropped our robot and pits off at the Century Link Event Center (the CLINK) in Seattle, WA.

THURSDAY: In the morning we showed up and waited for the doors to open.  We were able to un-bag the robot quickly. 

Therefore we made our modifications early on in the day. 

The main modifications were to move the magic jacks to the front of Bearmaggedon and add a surgical tubing collector to the edge of the multi-tool.

This lead to five (5!) practice matches for our drive team.  Setting a team record for the most practice matches at a regional!

FRIDAY: We had a long day and there were some high emotions all day long.  We won every qualification match we had this day, and were seeded at #1 when we went home this evening.  We also had an amazing award given to our team, specifically Mr. Eric VanBuren.  He received the Woodie Flowers Award.

Everyone was excited he won this inspiring award.

We were also honored by the presence of Dean Kamen (the founder of FIRST and inventor of the segway) and Governor Christine Gregoire in our pits.  Both of them, along with Conrad Ball, signed our robot.

SATURDAY:  We continued to stay strong in our qualification matches, only losing our last one, but remaining as the first seeded team.

Our school supported us in a major way. They encouraged other students to come, and allowed the Tahoma Drum Line to lead the mascot parade and perform.  They borrowed our capes and represented Bear Metal well.  They also stuck around to support us during our final qualification matches and performed outside during lunch.

We allied with Mean Machine (Team 2471) and Titan Robotics (Team 492) for finals.  Our teams shot to the top with some awesome autonomous.

In the end, we won the Seattle Cascade Regional, and received a ticket to St. Louis for the World Championships.

In addition to winning the regional, Bear Metal won Chairman’s.  Tons of thanks to our essay author and presenters: Kyla M (author), Alivia W (presenter), Mackinze D (presenter) and Nate K (presenter).

Be sure to stop by our pits tomorrow.

This Golf basket is for your golfer with everything from tees to balls.

This garden basket has seeds and bulbs for various plants, as well as tools to assist you in your gardening.

This Puppy Fun basket has all sorts of delicious treats and fun toys for your puppy.

This Robo Bag is for any young up and coming students who can’t get enough robots!

This Car Care kit has everything you need to keep your car looking nice year round.

For more information on our auction, view the catalog of items, or register for tickets, please visit our Auction page.

This Baby Bath Basket includes duck-themed towels and washcloths, along with shampoos and soaps.

This Crayola basket has everything from crayons to markers, pencils to paper, along with a large easel pad, with everything contained in a large box for storage.

This Lego Star Wars basket features several different Lego sets, all in a storage basket with a play mat included.

That’s all for this Auction Item Preview, if you’d like to learn more about our Auction and Spaghetti feed, as well as sign up for tickets, visit our Auction page.

Here is a preview of the posters:

The posters are numbered from left to right.

RegionalPosters2012-filled out 1

RegionalPosters2012-filled out 2

RegionalPosters2012-filled out 3

RegionalPosters2012-filled out 4

Additionally, here is a bundled version of the posters:

RegionalPosters2012-filled out

“It was great to share my last Bag n’ Tag day with my robotics family!” -Abbitude

“The cake is a Lie! But so is the bag n’ tag!” – Alex T

“How many robotics students does it take to put a robot in a bag? The world may never know.” – Em B

Me: “Abby, it’s our last bag n’ tag!”  Abby: “You’re gonna make me cry.” – Liz B

“Last bag and tag until I become a mentor, I will miss all our shenanigans.” – Mark E.

“Holy crap I’m tired…” –Nate K.

“termenun…numeruner….we’re not ti….zzzzzzzzz” ~ Alivia W. and Mackenzie D.

“Well…. This is different than Jr. High robotics” – Gabe H

“What bag & tag? I was too busy sorting the bag of punishment at Maria’s insistence.” O_O -Natalie F.

“I like lightsabers.” – Kyla M

“milling, milling, milling, still milling” – Gavin C

“Celebrating with epic lightsaber battle.” – Kenzie

“After 4 years, I’ve seen many robots packaged, and my last being the most entertaining and enthusiastic.” -Darren VB

“I don’t know what to write…… so…. I’m cool guys…. oh, and Emily, you will never be Em. And the power cord won.” ~Cathleen VB

“Natalie and I are going to finish organizing the punishment bag.” -Maria V.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!” -Natalie F.

“There’s a lot of weight in that, we can weight reduce it (some more)” ~Mr C

“It’s your team’s turn to do the blog and you’ve been elected as today’s victim” Mr V

In her sternest voice “I know your mother, don’t make me call her” Mrs R

This brings to an end our daily posts for a few days while we take a much deserved break but stay tuned for a video of the bagging and ensuing insanity.