Forty-two high school FIRST Robotics teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota descended on UW-Milwaukee’s Panther Arena from March 23 – 26 for the FIRST Wisconsin Regional. Whitewater High School’s Team #6574 Ferradermis played well throughout the event!
Ferradermis played 12 qualification matches with a final record of 7-4-1, earning an average of 2.25 ranking points per match, and a final ranking of 12th out of the 42 teams. Up to four ranking points can be earned per match. Two are awarded to the winning alliance in each match, and in the case of a tie, each alliance is awarded one ranking point. During this year’s game, an alliance can earn an additional ranking point in a match for successfully scoring a certain amount of cargo in the hub and another for scoring a certain number of points by climbing in the hangar during the end game. Ferradermis earned at least one of those additional ranking points in 10 of their 12 qualification matches. They also played two “unicorn matches” which is the nickname given to a match where an alliance earns all 4 ranking points.
The drive team in Milwaukee was led by senior driver Elijah Grall, freshman operator Andrew O’Toole, junior human player Jazmin Cederberg, and freshman technician Hugo Portales.
During the alliance selection process, because some of the higher ranked teams selected each other as alliance partners, Ferradermis moved up into the #8 alliance captain position. Competition Logistics Captain senior Shane Kinson then took the field to invite Team #1259 Paradigm Shift from Pewaukee and Team #930 from Mukwonago to join our alliance. The alliance played two hard-fought quarterfinal matches before being eliminated by the #1 seeded alliance.
The Chairman’s Team of freshmen Andrew Zimmermann and Maddi LaHaie and sophomore Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman was able to visit with judges and do their presentation in person rather than virtually as they had for the previous competition in Duluth. Also, while in Milwaukee, the two Dean’s List semi-finalists for Ferradermis, juniors Jazmin Cederberg and Daniel Portwine, had a chance to interview with a pair of judges.
The next stop for the team will be the Seven Rivers Regional in La Crosse from March 30 through April 2. This event will host 47 teams from Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota, many of whom are already well known to each other from the competitions in Duluth and Milwaukee. It should be a great event! The event can be livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires5 on Friday and Saturday. Go, Ferradermis!
Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org
