We had an exciting Week 6 at the FIRST California Northern State Championship at the Cow Palace. Competing against 60 of the top teams in Northern California, our robot demonstrated consistent and reliable performance throughout qualifications. We finished with a 9–3 record, ranking 7th overall, and proved we could contribute effectively across a wide range of matches, from high scoring offensive games to tighter, defense-heavy matchups.
Between East Bay District and DCMP, we had very limited turnaround time, so our focus was on preparation rather than major redesigns. Instead of introducing new mechanisms, we prioritized manufacturing critical spares and reinforcing key components to ensure we could handle the demands of a high level event. This allowed us to stay consistent and avoid major issues during competition.
Our robot’s reliability and adaptability were key to our success. With strong match-to-match consistency, we were able to contribute points and support our alliance members in every match. The work we put into preparation paid off, as we maintained smooth operation throughout the event demonstrating Valence as reliable and robust, ranking 7th at the end of the qual matches.
As Alliance 5 Captains, we selected 971 as our first pick and 3256 as our second pick. Our alliance worked well together, combining efficient scoring, with defense and shuttling to starve our opposing alliance of fuel allowing us to make a deep run through the bottom bracket competing against world class teams like 581, 604 & 5940. We ultimately finished in 3rd place going out in playoff match 13 against the Alliance 2 (9470, 1678 & 6665). We were also honored to receive the Industrial Design Award, recognizing the quality and thoughtfulness of our robot’s mechanical design.
We had a strong performance at the NorCal District event accumulating a total of 147 points, with an accumulative points total of 254 resulting in our team landing in 12th place in the CA District model. The team is well positioned for the FIRST Championship in Houston, and we’re excited to continue building on this momentum as we prepare to compete on the FRC world stage. Good luck to all the teams that qualified for Houston.
You can continue to track our build season progress at our website’s photo album.
