HAWAII REGIONAL
MARCH 2023
The Hawaiian Kids arrived at the Stan Sheriff Center alongside other FRC teams to compete at the Hawaii Regional.
FIRST Impact Team
Our FIRST Impact Award Team worked day and night in preparation for their 2:45 p.m. time slot the next day. Making sure to not only prepare themselves, but also teams around them, our Impact Team worked with Team 6909 SAKURA Tempesta in an in-person FIRST Impact Award Exchange to share perspectives and new ideas! We also gave 6909 a tour of our facilities a few days earlier!
SUPERB SCOUTERS
On the second day of the competition, Team 359 began qualification matches, ready to go, or so we thought. Unfortunately, we went on a losing streak during Qualification Matches 35, 42, and 47 due to connection issues. Luckily, our students and mentors worked diligently to troubleshoot and find a solution before finally determining and eliminating the source of our robot’s malfunction. Though we faced many unexpected challenges, we kept our spirits up and spread the Aloha Spirit by delivering boxes of our favorite macadamia nut chocolates to every team!
LOAD IN
After a week of improvements and practice, Team 359 arrived at the Hawai’i Regional on March 22, ready to go! During load-in, our team members set up the pit and prepared to compete alongside teams from the US Mainland, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. As the first day of practice matches flew by, so did 359 as we tested autos and our mechanisms on the field!
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Meanwhile, our scouters were hard at work collecting data on all the teams in preparation for the upcoming alliance selections. With our new and improved scouting methods, our students had a great time watching matches and getting information.
WOODIE FLOWERS FINALIST
At the end of the day, 359 gathered to congratulate our friend and mentor, Mr. Jefferson Bruno, for being awarded the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award! His hard work and dedication to STEM education continues to inspire each and every one of us every day.
Check out our other FRC Competitions!
PLAY-OFFS
Playoff matches started off strong with our Alliance scoring 148 points in both Round 1 and Round 2! As we headed into the Semifinals, 359 faced off against the 1st Seed Alliance, Teams 4270, 4613, and 8871. In this nail biting match, 359 prevailed, scoring 156 points, as we utilized our buddy climb mechanism to secure a triple balance! Heading into the Finals, we made sure to check in with our alliance partners and provide assistance to keep everyone running during the upcoming matches.
ALLIANCE SELECTION
With our connection issues fixed, 359 arrived on day 3, Charged Up! With a record of 7-5-0 (Win-Lose-Tie) and a total of 28 ranking points, Team 359 came 7th out of 37 teams, making us Captains of the 7th Seed Alliance. During the intense and greatly anticipated alliance selections, Team 359 was asked to join the 2nd Seed Alliance alongside Alliance Captains, Team 4253 Raid Zero, where we invited Team 2445 RoboKAP as our second pick!
FINAL MATCHES
If you thought the Semi-Finals were intense, think again because in Final match 1, our alliance partners 2441 unfortunately fell over, leaving the 1st Seed Alliance with the upper hand. In this close match, 359 came out victorious with a final score of 159 to 128. In Final match 2, 359 once again came head to head with the 1st Seed Alliance. Achieving 6 links, a triple balance, and a final score of 150 points, Team 359, 4253, and 2441, secured a win at the 2023 Hawai’i Regional.
AWARDS
After an intense series of playoff matches, 359 was overjoyed to be awarded the 2023 FIRST Impact Award. The FIRST Impact Award (formerly Chairman's Award) is the most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST. We are honored and will continue to uplift and inspire STEM throughout all of Hawai’i for years to come!
SPECIAL THANKS!
We want to thank Teams 4270, 4613, and 8871 for such an exciting series of playoff matches. We also want to give a special shoutout to Team 6909 for winning the Engineering Inspiration award! Team 359 is looking forward to competing against some more great teams at the Las Vegas Regional next week. Imua Waialua!