1999 – Double Trouble

FIRST allowed teams to hold on to the number we were assigned the previous year, so we got to retain number 141. Our team nickname was Panthers after the West Ottawa mascot. We attended the Great Lakes Regional on March 25-27, 1999 and the National Championship on April 22-24, 1999. were we sponsored by Prince or JCI).

FIRST FACTS:

Number of Teams: 271
Events Held:
8 Regionals
1 Championship

Robot Size:

130 pounds
Fit inside a 30” x 36” x 48” space

Brief Game Description:

Each match is two minutes long. Alliances receive one point for each of their floppies that are over the playing field, not in contact with the surface of the playing field, and less than 8 feet above the surface of the playing field. Floppies that are 8 feet or more above the playing field earn 3 points for the alliance it belongs to. Any robot on the puck multiplies its alliance's score by 3. If a puck is entirely on one side of the dividing line that runs through the middle of the field, the alliance whose robot operator stations are furthest from the puck will multiply its score by 2.

Tournament play consisted of seeding and elimination rounds. Seeding was based on greatest number of points scored, not actual number of games won. This led to a dominance of offensive tactics during seeding, and defensive tactics during elimination rounds.