Ever since the beginning of the build season, we have been planning our strategy and prototyping. Now that much of it is ending, we are looking to begin the robot as a whole rather than the individual mechanisms. The mechanisms that are chosen will be revised and created by our CAD team so that the proper material and size is as accurate as possible before it is created for the our final, competition robot. With our focus shifting to the construction of the robot, our team is steadily getting more excited for the future. 
We went to Shafer Elementary school as well, demoing our robot to young children and the parents. The students and parents had a blast and are showing interest in getting involved with FIRST themselves! There is still another demo during our build season at Griffin Elementary, so stay tuned!

As the halfway mark approaches, much of our current projects are starting to slow down before we begin to focus on the final design of the robot. Many of the prototypes are nearing their finish line, and there are several that are on the CAD list. Few of our components are still being prototyped due to the material needed, but once they are done, they are sure to be a sight to see! It won't be long before our team decides on aplan for our 2019 robot, but there are still many steps to go. Our CAD team is working hard along side our mechanical, electrical and programming teams to create prototypes that may have a role on our final design. There are also some new tools that Team 4639 will be able to work with now as well, such as the Jestdon software! So far it's looking to be an exciting year for our team!

Continuing from the past week, many of our ideas are being explored through prototyping. As several teams of students work together to create the best possible design and mechanism for this year's game, our strategy is being planned out as well. Most prototypes are finishing up, with testing being one of the last steps needed before we choose the best option. Once that is all wrapped up, more refined versions of the mechanisms will be created for coding and robot testing. It's still fairly early in the build season and anything could still change! 

     After kickoff, our team began planning possible strategy ideas, not going into detail about the robot and its components. Yesterday, we bagan the process of creating designs that may be prototyped and built for our final robot. Today, this planning has continued, revising ideas and choosing the best plan of action. Prototyping has also began to take place, with ideas being tested and refined depending on how effective they are. We can't wait to see how our ideas work out!
       Other decisions have been made as well. A tank drive configuration has been selected, however, this is only one of the many decisions to come. 
       There is even more news. One of head mentors, Mr. Milan, who has been with the team since the beginning, has earned the Texas Honorary Life PTA Award for his help with our team. Without Mr. Milan, we don't know where we would be. Thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do for our team!

On January 5th, the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition season began with the Kickoff, revealing this year's game. For the remainder of that day, our team was brainstorming possible strategy ideas and what would be our best course of action. Today, January 8th, that has continued, only now we are getting into much more detail. With ideas now beginning to include, robot components, our team is following a robot design theory: identify, asses, and design. This allows our ideas to come together smoothly before we begin any prototypes. Best of luck to all the teams around the world! Team 4639 is ready for lift off!   

​To watch the FRC Destination Deep Space game reveal, click here.    

On June 29th and 30th, the RoboSpartans competed at the Texas Robotics Invitational hosted by team 3847, Spectrum. The first day included an All Girls Drive Team tournament and a Mentor Drive Team tournament, where both our girls and mentors performed well. Our girls drive team finished in second place! The rest of the day consisted of practice matches, many of which were "powered down," meaning the lights had been turned off. The LEDs on Killswitch really stood out,  and the team had a blast!

On the second day, the competition began, and after our of qualification matches, our team finsihed at rank ten, eventually becoming the 7th Alliance Captain. For our alliance, we invited teams 5427, 5986, and 1745. Unfortunately, after two hard fought matches by all of our alliance members, we were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Even though we may not have had the best ending to the competition, our team had a wonderful time playing in the numerous events during the Texas Robotics Invitational! 
 
For more photos from TRI, check out our gallery here

 This past weekend, May 18 and 19, the RoboSpartans were given the opportunity to compete at the UIL Robotics State Championship along with other teams from Texas. Though the team had a rough start, the RoboSpartans worked between every match to correct any problems that the robot may have. After our qualification matches, the team moved to the alliance selections where we were chosen by the captains of the third seeded alliance team 148, the Robowranglers, and their partner team 3005, the RoboChargers. As elimination matches began, alliance 3 moved through the quarter finals, then the semi-finals to get all the way to the finals, a first for the RoboSpartans. Unfortuantely, we were not able to beat the first seeded alliance in the finals, but that did not let the team's spirits fall. Along with our alliance partners, we were the official runner-ups for the UIL Robotics Championship. A huge thanks to all the parents and mentors that have been with us throughout the season, we could not do this without your help and guidance, and thank you to all teams who were with us during the competition season for making this season full of wonderful memories! 

       On April 5-7, Team 4639, the RoboSpartans, competed at the Alamo Regional in San Antonio, the last regional until off season, unless we qualify for the UIL Robotics State Championship later on in May. But before that, here is how the Alamo Regional went. The qualifying matches went really well, so much so that we were rank 1 for about a third to half the competition, however, that was lost and we were placed around 5th. When it came down to it, the team did not accept this loss and kept pushing further to get a higher rank. Although we did not get our number one spot back, the team was able to secure a spot as the 3rd seed alliance captains. During alliance selections, the team selected teams 4063 TriKzR4Kidz and 4734 The Iron Plainsmen for our alliance.                   After moving through the quarterfinals, the team had a lead after winning the first semi-final match, but unfortunately our alliance was faced with some problems that sadly got us eliminated. However, there was so much more than that. Once again, 4639 was the only team at a regional to attempt and successfully perform a double-climb, earning four ranking points along with team 3481 Bronc Botz. Even though we faced a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals, there was still much joy to be found. At the end of the day, the team had won its first ever award, the Team Spirit Award! Despite the losses, the team left San Antonio with heads held high and many new friends from numerous FIRST teams. Thank you to all mentors, parents, and volunteers who helped our team through the good and the bad. We couldn't have done it without you!  

This past week, the team went to compete at the Texas Lone Star Regional in Houston. Here is a summary of our performance. After several qualification matches, the team came to qualification 71 as if it were any other match, but near the end of the match there was something different. Along with team 3676, Warrior Robotics, and team 6951, Spartans, the game went well until the endgame, the final 30 seconds. When our team set the hook to climb, it was shocking when team 3676 set their hook as well, leading to a double climb, a feat that was the only of its kind at the competition. Along with the levitate power up to get the free climb for team 6951, our team was give the face the boss bonus, giving us a 4 ranking point match, likely the only one. When it came to alliance selections, we were chosen by the 5th seed alliance captain, team 3676, our double climb partner, and proceeded to select team 2587, the DiscoBots. After beating the 4th seed alliance in the quarterfinals, the team moved to the semifinals, where we faced the 1st seed alliance. Unfortunately, we did not move on from there after the losses, but the outcome of the competition was astounding. Now the team looks to solve the issues that were noted at Lone Star and further improve our robot for our next competition, the Alamo Regional, where we are looking for greater success.
If you are interested in the full look at our competition turn out, check out this link here.

Well, it has been 6 weeks since the game was revealed and we started to work on our robot. Now, the time has come to bag and tag the bot until we are able to open it up for competition, which is now the main focus. The team has worked incredibly hard on this seasons robot and continues to work on the practice bot so that the drive team can begin practicing for the upcoming competitions. There is still quite a bit of work ahead, and the team is going into the competition season heads held high. Look out for updates on the upcoming competitions in March and April.