Post-Match Report with Amulya Kuntamukkala
This weekend, MORT competed in the FMA District Championship along with 60 other FRC teams in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at Lehigh University. The District Championship ran from Thursday, April 7th to Saturday, April 9th. The event was open for the public to attend and was the first District Championship MORT has attended since the pandemic.
The drive team of Madison Whittaker, Amelia Alfano, Jackson Notaro, Maxwell Caerasoli, and Sammil Panda kept up their consistent scoring and traversal climb throughout their matches. Spyro, MORT’s robot, was finishing a traversal climb (highest climb) in a matter of 8.5 seconds! During the alliance selection, MORT was selected by Team 365 from Wilmington, Delaware and Team 41 from Warren, NJ as the third team in Alliance 5. MORT and Team 41 strengthened their bond due to being in the same alliance at the Montgomery District Event where their alliance made the Finals.
In the first Quarter Finals 2 Match 1, MORT played strong defense on Alliance 4 which consisted of Team 316, Team 1089, and Team 1676. In Quarterfinals 2 Match 2, MORT’s alliance was able to recognize Alliance 4’s strategy and competed with them in Auto Cargo (24-20) points and Teleop Cargo points( 56-52). The deciding factor was the endgame. Alliance 4 was able to perform a double traversal, but MORT put up competition with their quick traversal climb. Although Alliance 4 did win Quarter Finals 2 Match 2 with a close match of 126-107, MORT was proud of their performance on the playing field.
The stands were swept with emotion as the MORT members were overcome with pride for their robot and. In the pit, members were seen hugging each other in solidarity and congratulating the drive team on their performance.
Joining forces with Team Miss Daisy, MORT cheered for Miss Daisy’s alliance throughout the semi-finals and finals. Students were seen wearing Miss Daisy’s flower headbands and chanting “Flower Power.” Once again, MORT was showcasing their professionalism as one of the most veteran FRC teams in NJ.
During the competition, Sanika Panditrao, the Safety All-Star winner from the Mount Olive District Event, was also selected as the Safety All-Star at the FMA District Championship. The safety lead displayed outstanding leadership in the pits as she discussed safety protocols with other teams. In addition, her treasure chests full of safety goodies caught the attention of many teams. Congratulations to Sanika for winning the Safety All-Star Award out of 60 teams!
Mr.George Ackley Sr. was also honored with the Outstanding Volunteer Award. He has been an integral part of MORT for decades and has inspired generations of FRC teams. Congratulations to Mr.George Ackley Sr. on the Outstanding Volunteer Award!
During the awards ceremony, MORT was honored with the Gracious Professionalism award. This award is given out to the team who demonstrates FIRST’s core values and collaboration both on and off the field. As MORT went down the stands, other FRC teams congratulated them. MORT would like to thank the judges for honoring the team with this prestigious award.
Comments