“And from Staten Island, New York, it’s Team #375, the Robotic Plague.” We were the number one ranked team at the New York City Regional; everything was going perfectly. All of us were already dreaming of walking across the field and holding the first place trophy and medals. There was no way we could lose during eliminations.        As we entered the semifinal round, everything was going as planned. All pre-round checks were good: all bolts tightened, tank treads replaced, battery...