Good Start to Fun Block Party Season!
Team Duct Tape came out of the gate in decidedly better shape this season than they did last season, finishing in solid 
third place against some stiff ROBOT League competition, and learning a lot in the process! There was lots of bock shoveling, flag raising and robot hanging going on at Hillsborough High School on Saturday, some dancing and a little silliness, too. In short – FTC season has started!
Got a little time before our next meet, when we head south on November 23 for an out-of-league road trip to Ft. Myers, to compete in the SW Florida Robotics League WolfDen Meet hosted by South Fort Myers High School. We’re looking forward to visiting with our South Florida friends!
We’ll be tweaking and tinkering until then, and maybe get a little more precision on that block delivery system!
Many thanks to all the volunteers who make the Hillsborough meet so much fun!
And congratulations to ROBOT League Think Award winners, the Team 6433 the Neutrinos, finalists 7710 Hydra C and 2425 Hydra A and the Winning Alliance team of 6433 Neutrinos (Captain) and 4997 Masquerade, and the Finalist Alliance team of 3846 Maelstrom (Captain) and 1369 Minotaur.
Check out full event results at the ROBOT League website.
Middleton High School Last Shot Competition, Here We Come!
The train’s running a bit slow but we’re still on track for a good showing at this coming Saturday’s Middleton High School Last Shot Qualifying Competition. More than a dozen teams will compete in this final qualifying event before the Feb. 27 State Championship .at the University of South Florida.
This is our last opportunity to put the robot to the test in a competitive environment, to 
evaluate the improvements team members made after their first competition in November’s RobotMania at Hillsborough High School.
In the intervening months, TDT members have collaborated with mentors , mentored FLL teams and volunteered at FLL events, done some community outreach, and welcomed a new member who’s plunged right in with the can-do team spirit that keeps Team Duct Tape going strong!
Now it’s just a matter of putting it all together, on Saturday, and showing just how much team members have learned and how much they truly enjoy working together.
Get Ready for RoboMania!! Saturday, Nov. 14, 10am – 7pm @ Hillsborough High School
TDT at last season's HHS Qualifying Competition
Join Team Duct Tape on Saturday, November 14, as we compete in the state and the nation’s first FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifying Tournament! Last year we were the first Inspire Award winners in the country. Can we do it again? We’ll try! At the very least, we plan on having a really good time!
Come on out to support Team Duct Tape and all the other great teams that will be there. The event will be held at Hillsborough High School at 901 E. Kennedy Blvd in Tampa, and is free and open to the public, so bring family and friends and enjoy this “sport for the mind” with us!
The event runs from 10am to 7pm, with qualification matches throughout the day, and the exciting elimination matches beginning at around 5pm.
It promises to be an exciting game, with some sophisticated robots and offers a great opportunity to see and support ambitious, innovative students using their time well – a practice that needs to be encouraged and celebrated more today than ever before!
