2006 FIRST Robotics Comptetition!
This year's competition incorporates absolutely no human players whatsoever. Thank Goodness. Just Drivers and robots . . .

To begin, the game starts with a 10 second autonomous mode. Each side has 10 balls to start in their robots. The robots must run on preprogrammed programming to either score balls into he side goals or the main centre goal.

The side goals are small rectangular holes in the corners of the playing field, raised slightly off the ground by ramps. Scoring in these goals gains 1 point.

The centre goal is a giant circle about 2 1/2 feet across, about 7 feet off the ground (about). 3 points ber ball in.

After autonomous mode, two opposing rounds start. One three robot team will become the "offensive" team, and the other the "defensive" team. Offense will attempt to pick up, move, and score balls into the goals on the opposite side of the field. Defense will try to stop the offense, but they must choose one robot to sit out at the other end of the field. After the first round, offense and defense roles switch in the second round.

Third and final human controlled round: free for all. Robots can do whatever they want, offense or defense, or whatever.

Points are tabulated.

Penalties are accounted for.

Final points are tabulated.

Side with the most points wins and ups their rannking score.

Ranking

In the preliminary matches, matches are set up in a random sort of round robin-like system. Each team plays about 8 games. Win/Loss/Tie points are awarded to teams after each match, as well as a total accumulation of game play points from the teams they defeated, acting as a tie breaker.

16 alliances of the top 48 teams (of about 75 total) move on to the finals. These pyramid style elimination best-two-out-of-three rounds narrow the competition down to the top two ultimate alliances, who battle it out for first place.

Scouting

This ever so important task is carried out by a small group of committed individuals from each team (or at least some of them). These people sit up in the stands, meander the pits, all to gather as much information about each robot as possible. The information is used to find weaknesses in rivals, and strengths in potential alliance team members.

Pits

The pits is a small arena packed with booths for each team. These are where each school gets to fix, tweak, and show off their robot. Button collecting and swapping is a big underlying event as well. Teams that give out pens or fresh produce are considered the elite of the giver-outers-of-things, though.

Mascots

Every team has a logo, or cool name, or character that expresses who their team is. Some teams go to the extent of creating an actual living, breathing mascot. Most teams simplybuild a suit for some unfortunate teamate to wear. Our team, however, left a cucumber outside during a thunderstorm. After being hit by lightning three or four times, as well as both leads to a car battery, Kirby the Cucumber rose to life and joined us in the fight for peace, justice, and total robotic domination.
Course, some teams up and bring their whole dance team to the competition. . .