User:MadCow2357

MadCow2357 is a current 9th grade Division C competitor who mostly specializes in building events. He competed for Gallagher Middle School for three years, a Rhode Island team which made its debut at the national competition in 2017. He is now competing for Barrington High School, where he hopes to achieve some degree of greatness.

2016-2017 (6th Grade, Division B)
I joined the Gallagher Middle School Science Olympiad Team in December 2016, after meeting a cool 8th grader at Barnes & Noble. Though beginning as an alternate who helped test the Scrambler, I was lucky enough to be let on the team in order to compete in Reach for the Stars and Meteorology. At the RI State Competition, I placed 1st in Reach for the Stars and 2nd in Meteorology (both carried by that eighth grader). Surprisingly, Gallagher won the state competition for the first time in history, giving me the chance to see Nationals. Though my Nationals placements were quite poor, attending Nationals would prove to be crucial motivation for the next year.

2017-2018 (7th Grade, Division B)
With many of the core 8th graders gone from last year, there were many spots to be filled in order to stay competitive. Since my first year, I had always found the vehicle and structure events to be especially interesting, so I took on the events Battery Buggy and Towers. I added Mystery Architecture to my repertoire because I had an interest in architecture, and Towers seemed like good practice for the event. Again, Gallagher MS pulled off the win, giving us the ticket to Colorado.

2018-2019 (8th Grade, Division B)
This year, I chose the events Battery Buggy, Boomilever, Fossils, and Thermodynamics. After much convincing from me, our coach signed us up for the Harvard Invitational. Somehow, I medaled in all my events, giving me the confidence and motivation to grind even harder for states. After the Harvard Invitational, I also started doing Roller Coaster but due to time conflicts I didn't participate in the event at states. Anyways, we managed to pull off another win, though the scores were very very close this year - Barrington Middle School lost to us by 9 points after bombing Battery Buggy. After states, I decided to focus on Battery Buggy for Nationals, as I believed it was my best chance at medaling. Unfortunately, my buggy missed the bonus by half a centimeter at Nationals...

2018-2019 (8th Grade, Division B)

 * See forums post: https://scioly.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=287&t=14607&p=393173#p393173

2019-2020 (9th Grade, Division C)

 * Missing binder and goggles (competition violation)
 * Was not present for flight but probably would've failed anyways lol

Achievements
BEAT THE CURVE ACHIEVEMENT: Know that you did horribly in an event, but still medal, probably because no one else knew what they were doing either: 2018 states towers fail. See below: https://scioly.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6237&start=450

O2 ACHIEVEMENT: Place in 2 events with the same partner - 2017 states, 2018 states, 2019 Harvard, 2019 States

HOST ACHIEVEMENT: Win an event with a completely useless partner - Literally every build I ever did in Division B.

PARASITE ACHIEVEMENT: Win an event as the completely useless partner - Reach for the Stars and Meteorology, grade 6. Also kinda got carried in Fossils by RockRoll92

REVERSE ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT: Draw the blueprints for an event after the device is built - Thermodynamics Harvard 2019, the blueprint was done 10 minutes before impound.

Assassinator
MadCow2357 was one of the Assassinators in SciOly Assassination 134: Cyberstrike along with dxu46. Below is a link to the complete collection of game clues: https://paper.dropbox.com/doc/Scioly-Assassination-134-Cyberstrike--Aa4IeARRCBxoMJ2el4eb7i95AQ-aG6HiEna087TbjCYpq3No

He was also the Assassinator (Mordred) in SciOly Assassination 144: Avalon, with TheCrazyChemist as co-conspirator. Clue workshop document and game feedback form are attached below (feedback would be much appreciated): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K_GZ7Pmng7f7aOqnbxLT93BKX3LVZP2u1fGoHHkoExg/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUwe5pjcPcJNUP83BumIAV7ZgrMwYBZW9JTepL9uQ3qZkeHg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Favorite Quotes and Words of Wisdom
"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

"It is always better to be kinder than necessary"

"When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

"Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers!" - Homer Simpson

"Better to stay silent and seem like an idiot than speak up and remove all doubt."

"Light a man a fire and he'll be warm for a night. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." - Master Oogway, "Kung-Fu Panda"

Events Ranked from Favorite to Least Favorite
1. Battery Buggy (2019)

2. Boomilever (2020)

3. Battery Buggy (2018)

4. Boomilever (2019)

5. Wright Stuff (2020)

6. Roller Coaster (2019)

7. Towers (2018)

8. Machines (2020)

9. Fossils (2019)

10. Reach for the Stars (2017)

11. Thermodynamics (2019)

12. Mystery Architecture (2018)

13. Meteorology (2017)

Contributions
https://scioly.org/tests/files/batterybuggy_2019_b_ssss-madcow2357_notes.pdf