ARGOS team 1756, Limestone’s FIRST Robotics team sponsored by Caterpillar, JH Benedict, SC2, and Play with Fusion finished as the second-ranked alliance at the Roboteer Rumble held on October 23, 2021, at Tremont High School.

The competition was played according to the 2020 Infinite Recharge game. The competition was divided into two parts, the qualification matches, and the playoff matches. An alliance consists of three teams and during the qualification matches the alliances are randomly selected to oppose another randomly selected alliance. At the end of the qualification matches, the teams are ranked based on how many ranking points they accumulated. The top six teams pick two other teams to play within the playoffs.

The playoffs were played as a round-robin, where each alliance played the other alliances exactly once and then the top two alliances played each other, instead of the typical elimination bracket-style playoffs. ARGOS qualified as the fifth-ranked team and as their partners for the playoffs they picked  4143 MARS/WARS from Metamora, IL, and 5847 Ironclad from Bradley, IL.

Alliances can score by shooting balls into the low goal, high goal, or inner goal located inside the high goal and by climbing at the end. The matches are two and a half minutes long and have an autonomous segment, where for the first 15 seconds the robot runs autonomously, and the teleoperated segment where the driver operates the robot.

First-time driver Logan Mason says, “It was fun driving the robot. There were ups and downs but overall it was really fun and nerve-wracking driving.” The drive team has an intense and important job upon which the team’s success lies. 

ARGOS lost the last elimination final by only 12 points. It was a close competition, but it was still a great learning experience for new students without the intense pressure of a regional competition.