Rack 'n Roll

2007 was a great year for Team 230. In addition to attending their home regional in Hartford, Connecticut, the Gaelhawks traveled down to sunny Florida to compete in Orlando. The robot, Talon VIII, performed well in both competitons, as well as the several offseason competitions the team attended.

Once the game was announced, the team wasted no time in getting to work. Prototypes were suggested and refined, eventually becoming the 5 foot long wings and suction-based arm that Talon VIII used in competition. After the prototype bot was built, team members began work on the competition robot. The entire process went off without any major problems. While weight was not too much of an issue, it did prohibit the team from making a few enhancements to the 'bot. A few days before the build season ended, the team attended the Winter War Zone, run by team 176, Aces High. The prototype robot made it to the semifinals before losing, but won the Tank Award for being able to take a beating without any damage. In addition, the team became the first team during the season to score during autonomous mode on an official field.

A few weeks after sending the robot off, the team headed down to Orlando. After enjoying a fun day at Disney the day before the competition, the team went to the venue for three days of matches. Although the team didn't get chosen for an alliance, they did win the Underwriters Laboratory Industrial Safety Award, and team members enjoyed the regional immensely.

The team then hurried back to Connecticut to participate in their home regional, the UTC Connecticut Regional. The experience gained in Florida as well as being on their "home turf" was a huge benefit to the team. The Gaelhawks did much better at the UTC regional, and was the first to score in autonomous during practice matches. Their autonomous success was not limited there, as Talon VIII scored many times throughout the day in autonomous mode. On Saturday, the Gaelhawks were chosen by the second ranked alliance, headed by Team 20, during eliminations. The team made it to the semifinals, despite some technical difficulties experienced by one of 230's partners, but lost during the semifinals to the UTC regional winners. However, the team still came out winners, leaving with another UL Safety Award in addition to a Motorola Quality Award.

All in all, the year was a great success for Team 230--And a very safe one!