Ozark Mountain Brawl 2018!
This fall Team Breakaway hosted the 21st annual Ozark Mountain Brawl FRC offseason event. Thursday night our team gathered together to begin field set up when the AndyMark truck rolled in. The event started Friday afternoon as we were joined by 17 other teams from the United States and Mexico. The Ozark Mountain Brawl was a great way to engage with other teams and their robots as well as to train up new members.
After setup Thursday night and Friday, the teams began to arrive. This year we tried something new with skills challenge rounds. There were a total of 7 events in which each team had the option of competing. These events ranged from a blindfolded drive team to speed scouting exercises. The team with the best score in each event was awarded a trophy at the closing ceremonies. Team Breakaway 3937 had the honor of winning the Obstacle Course Skills Challenge award. The new skill competitions were a great way to practice and have fun as well as meet new people from around the U.S. and Mexico.
Congratulations to the teams who won these skills events:
Whole Hog Cafe Cube Shuttle Run - Apophis 5006
Harding University Obstacle Course - Breakaway 3937
Edward Jones Exchange Challenge - Bomb Squad 16
Ryerson Winning the Scale - Bomb Squad 16
Harding Center for Distance Education in Bible and Ministry Blindfold Challenge - Bomb Squad 16
Eaton Scouting Session - Botbusters 4635
Shimadzu Parody Video - Apophis 5006
Remax Hoggard Team Cube Decoration - Boss 6055
Saturday morning began, and already the stands were hyped. Teams crowded in early to claim their spots in the bleachers before qualification rounds began. We had the privilege of getting a spot beside Apophis 5006 and Botbusters 4635. The rounds began, and I got to experience fully the world of an FRC competition for the first time as a freshman. There was pressure to do well as our team and alliance partners fought hard. The excitement level was inspiring and exciting. I will never forget how I got to experience the passion of the teams and the thrill of victories that were celebrated, even though it was an off-season event.
After a challenging qualification round, Breakaway 3937 was ranked 4th seed in alliance selections; however, we were picked up by 1st seed team 16-Bomb Squad from Mountain Home, Arkansas. We were excited as we were joined by team 5729-Lennox Monsanto MAD Dragons. With a spot on the 1st seed alliance our future was looking bright. We got a bye through the first round of eliminations; so anticipation was high as we headed into the semifinals. We defeated the 4th seeded alliance of teams 5568-Solid Rock, 5930-Lunar Kitties, and 4356-CIA Robotics Presents-Big Furious George.
We excitedly awaited the final championship games to begin. We were up against a good alliance composed of 5006-Apophis, 323-Lights Out, and 6640-Metal Eagles. The matches were close, and at the end of two matches we were tied 1-1. We headed into the final rubber match, and thankfully our alliance pulled through with a win
Ozark Mountain Brawl was a great experience for all of us as new teammates as well as for our returning team members. Meeting so many people from not only Arkansas, but also other states and Mexico, gave me a glimpse ofwhat FIRST Robotics is really about. It’s fun to win, but the most important aspect is discovering things we never would have before and making life-long relationships with people from all around the world. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for us as we head into Deep Space.
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