Apart from the very long bus rides, and the fact that the Rebels were facing some of the best teams down south, the Rebels did a good job at Smoky Mountain. The Rebels didn’t start out so well, as the drive team decided to switch up their strategy a bit, which caused the Rebels to lose a few matches. After a quick talk with Motch, Corrigan, the drive team, and the scouters, the Rebels were able to power up their game and climb back up the rankings.

The second day, however, the Rebels weren’t quite able to keep this up, and ended up ranking 21st overall. But this wasn’t the end for the Rebels. They ended up making the playoffs by getting picked by the 5th seed in alliance selection. Although the Rebels and their alliance played hard and strong, they just weren’t able to keep up with the excellent Scale bots on the opposing alliance, and ended up getting eliminated from the playoffs.

Aside from the robot, the Rebels ended up winning two awards. They (once again) proved their excellence in safety by winning the UL Safety Award, and their sharp business skills were revealed by winning the Business and Entrepreneurship Award.

All in all, not only did the Rebels make the playoffs and win awards, but they also had a memorable experience down south. The dinners were delicious, and experiencing Tennessee was a cool experience for us Long Islanders. And let’s not forget the 20 hour bus ride on the way back...oh boy....