'My Favorite Part was.....' [Archive]

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Erin.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST

You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
I'll be here waiting...

-erin

p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by David McGovern.

Student on team #349, RoBahama, from International academy and Ford.

Posted on 4/12/2000 1:10 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

: You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

: Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

: I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
: I'll be here waiting...

: -erin

: p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.

Haha, that's an easy one for me. The most memorable part of the competition was at Chicago when our robot hung on the bar, but the tether did not work when we tried to take it off the bar. So it was stuck up there while we frantically attempted to take it down. Everybody was stunned, our electrical engineer Matt was freaking out because we had not cleaned up our messy wiring job at that time (sorry Matt). Dean and Woodie were up there and couldn't figure out what was wrong with the robot, and finally to get piña robata off the bar after holding up the competition, the bar had to be removed!. Heh, by the time we finally got gator clips to apply power directly to the motor (we suspected a faulty wire), we recieved only one gator clip and no battery! It turned out that one tooth of the wrist gear was bent, a new one had to be fabricated afterward. That had to be one of the most embarrassing moments for our team.

Ciao all
David - team #349

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Patrick Seeney.

Student on team #469, Las Guerrillas, from Oakland Robotics and Lawrence Technological University and Magna Seating Systems, Nachi and Kuka Robotics.

Posted on 4/12/2000 8:10 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by David McGovern on 4/12/2000 1:10 PM MST:

I had a few memorable moments.
1) being allied with the amazing team 308 twice, i was sad to see them not be picked. If we had made it to the top, which we were close, we would have picked them all the way.

2) Our match against the highly defensive Robo Dawgs. With that arm parked under our basket, we were able to hold strong and blow away the match.

Pat

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Chris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/12/2000 3:17 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite parts:

1. Finally playing in a match with Colleen. It was fun and I wish we got to do it more often. I got to play against her last year but that was different. She's a very nice person, you know.

2. All of our matches with the Huskie Brigade. We had some good alliances and some good fights. We both sustained some damage in the semis at the GLR in our shoving match (their frame got bent, our axles got bent). All of the matches had great spirit to them.

3. Seeding in the top 8 at the Midwest Regional. I knew we would be good at winning matches, but I didn't think a one-ball holder could provide the offense to seed well. Our drivers got very good and we ended up being an excellent offensive team (we could score up to 6 balls a minute at nationals - I never thought I'd see that).

4. Las Guerillas. What a great team and a great story. We got to play with them once at the GLR and once at nationals.

Least Favorite:

1. Starting a match at nationals and seeing our robot not move. This is a long story that I don't need to get into here (communication problem), but that was the longest two minutes of my life.

2. Seeing team 60 get declined so many times. What was up with that?

3. Realizing that had an alliance partner's hanging mechanism not gotten broken (and they lifted themselves when they were attached to the bar in the one match), we would have been the #10 seed (at nationals) and instead we went home early. That is tough to stomach. However, in light of #1 above, I feel I can't complain since we let our partner down even worse in one match. I supposed I should try not to what-if myself to death.

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Daniel Kimura.

Student on team #469, Oakland County Schools and LTU Las Guerrillas, from Andover High School.

Posted on 4/12/2000 8:15 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Chris on 4/12/2000 3:17 PM MST:

: 4. Las Guerillas. What a great team and a great story. We got to play with them once at the GLR and once at nationals.

HEY! SOMEONE REMEMBERS US!!!!!! I must say team 308 was my favorite alliance ever since GLR. Your button was the only one i was wearing before our first match at nationals. Happy we got teamed with you, might have looked silly with that button on otherwise :]. It was great playing with you guys would have liked to make a run at the finals with ya but i guess the qualification rounds didn't like that idea.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by colleen.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #246, a FIRST-aholic, from John D. O'Byrant High School/Boston Latin Academy and NSTAR/Boston University/Wentworth Institute of Technology/MassPEP.

Posted on 4/13/2000 12:03 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Chris on 4/12/2000 3:17 PM MST:

awww.. thanks Chris! We were psyched to get in a match with you guys- and it was great one! I never thought we'd get around to playing with you guys but it finally happened - hope it can again next year!! (you tell them all i'm nice! for some reason, some people don't always want to believe me :-P)

as for my fav parts of the comp:

1.) Playing with, against, and hanging with all the great people i talk to during the year (you Chris, Kate, Lora, Anton, Kirsten, Mike, Andy, Joe, Andy (scratch), Aaron, Moe, and all the waaaay too many people i know i'm forgetting)

2.) Being around those people who really understand, grasp, and appreciate the true meaning of FIRST... it was, in all honesty, something that some people around me had a problem with - and it felt good to feel at home with people who understood it once again...

3.) Can't decide between good or bad- but standing on the sidelines as I watched my old team Gael Force, partnered with 131 and 102, go for and come greatly close to the gold.. it's been 4yrs since I ever had to sit back and just watch a match and not be behind the controls or coaching.. it was hard- but it put things in perspective in a lot of respects.. congrats to that crew- you guys are still an unstoppable alliance despite what color your medals are..

4.) Knowing there's less than 300 days til next kick off..

Look forward to seeing everyone at the summer competitions, at kick-off, and in the 2001 games.. keep in touch..

colleen

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by BJ.

Student on team #469, Las Guerrillas, from Oakland County Robotics and LTU, Nachi and Kuka Robotics, and Magna SS.

Posted on 4/13/2000 2:39 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Chris on 4/12/2000 3:17 PM MST:

Like Dan said, there's nothing like knowing you have been recognized, and, as a team, Las Guerrillas really appreciate the acknowledgement. Do you guys, by any chance have an engineer named Steve? There was this guy that helped us out a couple of years ago. At nationals, as part of team 163 (also sponsored by TRW), he helped us break into our tool box after our engineers ditched us in the middle of the afternoon. I know I saw him at nationals this year, but I don't know if he was a part of your team. I am sure he was a TRW employee though, and he was working with Farmington Hills Harrison, at the time. RIng any bells? Let me know! Thanks again for the kind words, just know you guys were on our list in the unlikely event we had had the chance to pick. Those were some great times! Thanks again!

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Chris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #308, Walled Lake Monster, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW Automotive Electronics.

Posted on 4/14/2000 5:53 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by BJ on 4/13/2000 2:39 PM MST:

:
: Like Dan said, there's nothing like knowing you have been recognized, and, as a team, Las Guerrillas really appreciate the acknowledgement. Do you guys, by any chance have an engineer named Steve? There was this guy that helped us out a couple of years ago. At nationals, as part of team 163 (also sponsored by TRW), he helped us break into our tool box after our engineers ditched us in the middle of the afternoon. I know I saw him at nationals this year, but I don't know if he was a part of your team. I am sure he was a TRW employee though, and he was working with Farmington Hills Harrison, at the time. RIng any bells? Let me know! Thanks again for the kind words, just know you guys were on our list in the unlikely event we had had the chance to pick. Those were some great times! Thanks again!

Yes. His name is Steve Sexton and he's a very nice guy.

Side info: We used to be with Farmington Hills Harrison High School and we were team 162 (you were amazingly close with 163). We changed schoold to Walled Lake schools last year and were 'rookies' again (hence the 308 number now).

Hope to see you guys at one of the unofficial events.

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23-06-2002, 22:47

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23-06-2002, 22:47

Posted by Tom S..

Student on team #177, The Bobcats, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells & ONSI.

Posted on 4/12/2000 3:28 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Definitely my favorite part was in Hartford, We were allied with team 237 - The entire match was spent fighting it out with the other two alliance partners, I think it ended up that we had both of our bots hanging (not sure) and the ending score was 25 - 21 (we won, pretty sure about the score)... But the entire round was series of defensive moves by both teams that resulted in a very good qualifying score for our alliance.

Our teams spent the rest of the competition chearing for each other, and at the party on friday night, they ended up gathering outside of our bus while we left. it was just a great experience to be cheering with and for their team. Great Job 237!!!

Tom Schindler
Team #177

: You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

: Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

: I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
: I'll be here waiting...

: -erin

: p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 4/12/2000 4:27 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Oooh...there are too many for me to post here!!

I guess my favorite story with my 'official' team (69) in the Nationals was surviving the RAMBOT onslaught in one of our last matches. If nothing else, we survived smashing, pushing, jabbing on that ramp, and still managed to steal their balls. ;o) I'm going to get a patch on my shirt that says 'I survived the RAMBOTS!'

My favorite story from the team that adopted me, the Bobcats #177, would have to be the invisible dog burial in the Magic Kingdom...I can't say anymore, but you guys understand!! ;o)

As for my favorite moment, I think it would have to be the whole trip. Finally getting to meet all of you from here on Chief Delphi, as well as one of my other favorite haunts, the RAMBOTS chat room, was more than I could have ever asked for. This has easily been my most incredible year in FIRST, and though our bot did not do as well as in the past, I couldn't have had a better time with better people.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Tom S..

Student on team #177, The Bobcats, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells & ONSI.

Posted on 4/12/2000 6:47 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Lora Knepper on 4/12/2000 4:27 PM MST:

Ewwww the invisible dog burial... That was an experience. (no comment... Lets just say watch out for flying dogs) ô¿ô

Tom
PS: No dogs or any other animals were harmed by myself, my team or Lora during this process.

: Oooh...there are too many for me to post here!!

: I guess my favorite story with my 'official' team (69) in the Nationals was surviving the RAMBOT onslaught in one of our last matches. If nothing else, we survived smashing, pushing, jabbing on that ramp, and still managed to steal their balls. ;o) I'm going to get a patch on my shirt that says 'I survived the RAMBOTS!'

: My favorite story from the team that adopted me, the Bobcats #177, would have to be the invisible dog burial in the Magic Kingdom...I can't say anymore, but you guys understand!! ;o)

: As for my favorite moment, I think it would have to be the whole trip. Finally getting to meet all of you from here on Chief Delphi, as well as one of my other favorite haunts, the RAMBOTS chat room, was more than I could have ever asked for. This has easily been my most incredible year in FIRST, and though our bot did not do as well as in the past, I couldn't have had a better time with better people.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Mike Kulibaba.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #88, TJ², from Bridgewater-Raynham Regional and Johnson and Johnson.

Posted on 4/12/2000 5:10 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

one part I enjoyed alot was when a teammate of mine and myself got to go out to watch the Great Lakes Regional in Michigan the first weekend of the competition. I've always heard how the Michigan regional was one of the best around cause it was mostly teams from Michigan and a very close surronding area. I go to see the Delphi's and the Gm's and the Motorola's. Just to see these teams in action got me a better understanding of what to expect when my team went to NJ the next weekend.And I did not leave dissapointed. But......

My Most favorite part was and always will be this web page. No where else can over 700 people from 182 teams talk about how much fun they had and what they didn't like and what they liked and how they feel. I know Lori and other people from FIRST look at this site to see what everyone thinks and feels because this is where everyone comes together to be part of one big FIRST family. I want to thank Delphi, The Chief, and everyone who writes and posts their feelings and make this page the success that is it, especially Brandon Martus for making the page what it is today. Thanks everyone

Kuli Team 88 TJ²

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by william swanson.

Coach on team #353, p. o. b. bots, from mattlin middle school.

Posted on 4/12/2000 6:05 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite part of this experience was watching my students working on the different machines. I invited many of my past students (I teach Middle School) and the ones who accepted were awesome. We had mostly 9th graders, so alot of them had little experience except what they learned from me. Mostly woodworking tools. The female counterpart of our team was the best. These girls worked on all machines and outshone the boys on most of them. We had art majors, techies, and some Science geeks who also did well.
To win a regional with these guys was just super. This is a memory I will never forget. We are doubtful for next year unless some sponsors show up, so this will be a once in a lifetime experience for us. We will be trying hard between now and September to get those sponsors.
Good luck to all.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by jack.

Student on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High School and Nypro Inc..

Posted on 4/12/2000 7:01 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

hey erin this is jack from team 126, i just wanted to say my favorite experience from FIRST this year and all of the years is going out and meeting new people. i beleive i had a chance to talk to you alot at the nationals, and its people like you, like Ben from team 131, jason from 102, andy grady from 42, and everybody who takes the time to say hello and good luck that make this competition what it is, not only an educational experience but a chance to better your social life, social skills, and overall gracious professionalism.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

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23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Dave.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #308, Robo Stars, from Walled Lake Schools and TRW.

Posted on 4/12/2000 8:21 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

It was Nationals on Friday, our last match of the day. Our partner (sorry guys, I can't remember who it was!) and us were teamed up against 108 and their partner (again, sorry guys!). With about a minute into it, our alliance had scored 2 black balls and 2 yellow, with us on the bar. 108 and their partner had also scored their 2 black balls but had scored an additional yellow ball, bringing their score up to 23 with 108 on the bar. Our partner and thier partner both had problems, and with hardly no time left, our human player sunk a yellow ball tieing the score at 23. (You could call it his birthday present - it was his 18th birthday :-) As the match ended, we had won by getting the 2nd to last tie breaker, robot closest to the center of the goal, the next tie breaker being the flip of a coin. Definately a match to remember :-)

: You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

: Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

: I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
: I'll be here waiting...

: -erin

: p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Keith Liadis.

Student on team #131, C.H.A.O.S., from Manchester Central High School and Osram Sylvania and Fleet Bank.

Posted on 4/12/2000 9:27 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Wow.. there were so many memorable moments in the 2000 season.
Two that stick out in my mind:
1)Taking over the pool at All Star Music. We (CHAOS) represented our team's name well by causing a complete pool take over. We got over 60 FIRST kids to jump in the pool and create havoc. We even got kids to jump into the pool with there clothes on (yah peer pressure:) .. Eric and Erica)
2) Our second match versus CHIEF DELPHI and HOT BOT. The first match we could not compete in because we had to perform life threatening surgery on our accumulator. Luckily our accumulator survived and was ready for the next round. The match began smoothly. Both us and our amazing partners, NYPRO CLINTON, got down quickly to the other end of the field. We took the black ball and stored it in our basket adn then went over to the opponents trough to defend DELPHI and HOT BOT from scoring. Both DELPHI and HOT BOT kicked the crap out of us and managed to score in there balls. In the mean time, NYPRO managed to quickly score four balls into our trough. After some battling, our robot made its way to the opponents trough, and quickly stole out their black ball before they could ram us. On our way over to our trough to score both black balls, the HOT BOT tackled us sideways, sending us both flying down to the ground on top of the ramp. We lost one black ball in the fall. We were sideways, meaning we had no chance of getting back up. HOT BOT, who had the ability to right themselves decided to try to get back up, not knowing that their robot was tangled in ours. Since we have such a low center of gravity, all it took was a little effort on the HOT BOT's part, and we were both amazingly back up, us on two wheels, just enough to speed out of their grasp. From there, we brought the one remaining black ball to our goal and scored it. At this point, both NYPRO and HOT BOT went to hang, while DELPHI and US were left alone to control the ball scoring. We quickly drove back over to their trough, and stole another black ball. We then proceeded to speed back to our trough, where we had the clash of the titans on top of the trough. DELPHI was trying to steal our black balls, so I slammed the robot into the trough, allowing our operator to manipulate the DELPHI accumulato and keep it from getting in low enough to steal our balls. Our operator then proceeded to deposite their stolen black ball into our goal, and we spent the last few seconds defending the DELPHI robot from getting into our trough. The match ended with our alliance on top. Unfortunately, the DELPHI bot broke a weld during the battle, otherwise we would have had another huge clash in the next round, I know it! I loved their bot, and the HOT BOT and I just want to thank them for such a great round. I'll never forget it. You guys are awesome.
-Keith 131
Wait, I almost forgot :) there was one more favorite part... hanging out with the Bobcats, they're an awesome group.. ('specially Kirsten:) ) I hope to see you guys again soon! I'm out! Word!

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23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Thomas Grupp.

Engineer on team #378, Circuit Stompers, from Newfane High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 4/13/2000 5:51 AM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Lets see? My favorite part was definetly during the nationals.

It was our 4th match of the day on Friday. Prior to that match we had slipped a belt in the previous match. After fixing the belt the pit crew was running throuhg the check list to verify that H.A.N.K (Hi-Tech Automated Newfane Kid) was is working order. When going through the list, the Right side drive was not working. At this time it is approximately 30 minutes before we have to be on the field for our match. The pit crew kicked it into HIGH gear and started to change out the gear box. Time was wasting away! With seconds left we were running through the pits pulling HANK behind us trying to clear the way to get to the Newton field. We arrived at the staging area to find The next match already lined up in the tunnel and our match on the field ready to begin. The only way to get HANK to the field was to go around the teams through the same tunnel, as teams were bring their robots off the field from the previous matches.

As it turned out we were unable to get HANK to the field in time, we missed by about 30 seconds. We were allied with team #249 and our opposition was team #118 and #212. As the match went on with out us The Bulldogs went across the field and grabbed a black ball the then came back over and took the black ball from the Human player went to the goal and dumped the two black balls into the goal. They then proceeded to the bar where they hung. Meanwhile our human player and their human player were trying to score by throwing what yellow balls were left, one went in. I dont know who threw it, there was so much confusion at that time. As time ran down Quickly adding up the score it looked like our allinace was going to win! WOW, WE DID WIN 21-19. THANKS TO TEAM #249. We will always be indebted to The Bulldogs.

Anyway in the spirit of competition, after the match and we returned HANK back to the pit. The ENTIRE team went over to thank The Bulldogs For there FINE work in winning the match without our help. This is a moment that I will NEVER Forget!

We ended up 6-1 in our qualifying matches and ranked 36th overall. Both these things are definetly, my favorite parts.

Until Next Year!

Best Regards
Tom Grupp
Team #378
The Circuit Stompers!

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23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Nate Smith.

Other on team #66, GM Powertrain/Willow Run HS, from Eastern Michigan University and GM Powertrain.

Posted on 4/13/2000 8:24 AM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Well, I just need to start off by saying that this has been an AWESOME year, probably my best yet. Which, of course, makes it very hard to decide on a single favorite part, or even a few, but there are a couple experiences that come to mind...

- Back before kickoff, I got the idea, after NASA announced they were going to broadcast the kickoff on the Internet, that there should be a central location for kickoff information, with links to the broadcast, an easy way to see if the FIRST web page had been updated, and a way for the various people watching the webcast to communicate with each other. Because of those ideas, the FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff Central site was born. With a script that would automatically check the FIRST site for updates every 5 minutes, direct links to any stream of the webcast, and a Java chat room, I started the site, not sure of how many people would actually show up. I was amazed when, by the end of the day, the counter rolled well over 1000. Also, some of the people that I talked to in chat that day became friends that I kept in touch with throughout the competition, some that I didn't actually meet in person until Florida.

- And that leads me into my next point, the friendships that I developed this year. In my last two years with this program, there have been a few people that I've met and hung around with down in Florida, but it didn't seem to go much beyond that. This year, for some reason, was exactly the opposite. I, mainly through this site and the RAMBOTS chat, got to know quite a few people, and from the reports that I got from my team in the pits, just about all of them must have come looking for me at some point. One of my team members said that just about as many people came looking for me as they did to look at our robot! Just a few highlights:
- Lora(Team 69): Somebody from back at that first day in Kickoff Central, that I've talked to about just about anything since then, and finally met the first day of the National Competition.
- Erin(Team 1) : Someone who I could easily see as being involved with FIRST her entire life. I don't exactly remember when I first started talking to her, but we've definitely become good friends through all of this, even to the point that I was invited to a meeting of team 1 before we had ever actually met in person(and I've got a Juggy hat to prove it! =)
- My Entire Team(Team 66): While it took some time at first for me to make the transition from student to mentor, team 66 as a whole took a chance on somebody who they knew very little about, and helped me feel, by the end of the season, that I wasn't just somebody coming in to help out, but was actually a part of the team.
- Ken & Martin(Team 65): Out of all the people I've worked with this year, these two probably had the hardest job out of all of them..putting up with my crazy ideas and slightly strange way that my mind works as we worked to make the GMCIA this year a success, despite the few glitches that we ran across. Working through them will only help to make the 2001 season better!

And finally, my favorite memory on the field:
During one of our matches on Friday, our ally was on the field, but had drive train problems that prevented them from moving once the match started. Our human player dropped in our 5pt ball, then our machine shot across the field to grab one other 5pt ball and 3 1pt balls before the other team had a chance to get to them. We then dumped all 13 points into our goal, and then executed a perfect hang maneuver, lifting us off the ground with time to spare, and securing a 23-6 victory.

I'm sure I could go on for a lot longer, but I'm not sure how much space Brandon would want me taking up on his web server for this =) See everybody next year(or at the WMRC!)

nate

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23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by REDACTED.

Student on team #293, BullBots, from Hopewell Valley Central High and Janssen Pharmacutica, Morehouse Engineering.

Posted on 4/13/2000 8:27 AM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite part of the competition was definately our last qualifying match in the NJ regionals, the first regional we attended since last year's fiasco with the drive train and placing of 55/60 in Philly(i was actually quoted in the school newspaper about expecting us to do better this year. 54th out of 60 was my prediction thou, go figure).

Anyway, it was one of the last matches of the day and the 4 teams were 47, 176, 224 and us. Throughout the first few matches we had been having pretty crappy luck with most of the systems we didnt have a chance to test before shipping. Our bumper only ended up being a hinderance in ball collection, somone accidentally connected the conveyor belts backwards after inspection which we didnt notice in time for our first match, and we went through atleast 3 different types of front wheels (one of which almost getting us DQed for tearing up carpet. can we say too much traction?) before we found a type that worked. But by our last match we were feeling pretty confidant in Spike's abilities and our only real fear was that we'd end up with a non-functioning or non-existant alliance partner.

As is the case with any qualifier, we were hoping to get paired with the best ball collectors there, in this case team 47, and get those few extra points we needed for even a chance at getting into the elims. Much to our dismay at the time (we have since changed our minds) we were teamed up against the one robot to not lose any of the qualifier matches in that competition and the pairings stood at 47 and 176 vs. 224 and us. It would've seemed that the evil fish did not favor us( to see a picture of the evil fish turn to page 666 of 'Fundamentals of Physics Fifth Edition', if you dont know or care what the evil fish is, dont worry about it)

It had to of been one of the most intense matches of the regional and due to the knowledge we picked up in 47's previous match against 246 (where Delphi still came out on top, but NSTAR discovered that if they blocked 47 whenever they tried to dump balls, they could keep the scores much closer), and 224 covering 47 we forced their alliance to rely solely on what 176 could pick up and managed to keep the scores almost neck in neck.

In the end, it came down to the two balls sunk by our alliance's human players that made for the final scores of 24 to 22 in our favor. It seemed that the evil fish was smiling on us in his floating beaker of green liquid after all and we got the mystical 66 qualifying points that we needed. Definately a very intense and well played match by all involved.

REDACTED
Team 293

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Andy Grady.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #42, P.A.R.T.S, from Alvirne High School and Daniel Webster College.

Posted on 4/13/2000 8:58 AM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

I have 2 favorite moments:
1. At the New England regional seeing the faces of the students on my team after we won the Spirit award. They had worked so hard and kept good spirits up even though our robot was not very competitive at all.

2. Was our last match at the nationals, even though nothing spectacular happened, we came out on top and finished the whole national competition without any severe problems. After the regional competition in which we didn't do so well, to see our team ranked 37th at the nationals (which i feel was earned) felt unbelieveable.

Of course with all these great moments you have to have the great people with it. I just wanted to say thanx to all the people I have met along the way.

Team 126-Gael Force, You guys never cease to amaze me, as always you manage to come out with a stunning robot, and im very proud to have even recieved a chance to work with you in some remote way this year. I am looking forward to returning to you guys next year and working with some of the great kids I met over the past few years.

Team 151-Nashua, If there is a team out there who deserves a lifetime sportsmanship award or something it is you guys. You have been extreemly helpful this year to us. When we were having problems with our robot, you guys were there. I cannot thank you enough for the support that your team has given us.

Team 131-Chaos, You guys are unbelieveable, I have never seen so much fire in a team to accomplish something. You guys have been so supportive and helpful to us over the past couple of years, not to mention the number of friendships that have resulted. Im glad to see you guys did well this year, and I hope your sucess continues in the future.

Team 246-BU, To Colleen and the rest of the crew over there, thank you for helping us out with the hotel rooms in Jersey, without you I would have been sleeping on the doorstep of the arena at Rutgers Univerisity waiting to get into competition. Also to Colleen, one more year in the books kid, now its time for some V-Ball =) Thanx for being there.

To everyone at the football game on wednesday night thanks for comming, we had alot of fun. To Lora from team 69, thanx much for helping out with the organiziation of the game im very happy to have had the chance to work with you.

Finally to all the people on the Delphi board and Rambots Chat that I have met over the past few weeks, thanx for being there for me to vent at on these boards. With FIRST comes stress, and there is no one id rather argue with than you guys =)

Ok im gonna shut up now, so if i forgot anyone, you owe me a backhand later.
Cya all in 2001 (and hopefully at Rumble 2000),
Andy 'scratch' Grady, Team 42 DWC/Alvirne HS

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by colleen.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #246, a FIRST-aholic, from John D. O'Byrant High School/Boston Latin Academy and NSTAR/Boston University/Wentworth Institute of Technology/MassPEP.

Posted on 4/13/2000 10:32 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Andy Grady on 4/13/2000 8:58 AM MST:

thanks to you to andy- we wouldn't have had it any other way in Jersey- we needed you guys there..

just think- without the backing you guys gave me for that match #84 strategy, i may have listened to the others instead of my better judgement and gone with a totally different strategy- but now we have the Outstanding Defense Award..

it's thanks in part to your support at Jersey - but also (this is to you Andy!) for all the support the past 5 years... You know I never would have been half the driver (and now coach) i was without ya.. those nights, those races, you pushed and challenged me to be the absolute best and 42 steps beyond that.. i owe so much i've had and my improvement in driving over the years to you personally... i thank you so much (although all my opponents probably don't :-).. i miss the days together on a team- and someday it may happen again, but until then - i've always got a little FIRST aid handy for ya and anything else you need.. you're an awesome friend - can't wait for volleyball :-) (btw- we need to figure details on that, we doing thursday & sat. night again????)

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by P.J. Baker.

Engineer on team #177, Bobcat Robotics, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells.

Posted on 4/13/2000 2:05 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite memory from nationals would have to be the deciding match in the round of 16 where the Bobcat and Delphi Elite(#48) were pitted against #60 and Aces High (#176). It was basically decided by a wrestling match between the Bobcat and Aces High. In the end we were knocked out of the ring, but Aces came with us and the score was preserved. The alliance of 41, 48, & 177 moved on to the quarterfinals. Here's a picture from Elite's web site showing what the field looked like when the match was over. Even though there were 20 seconds at the end where nothing happened, this was the most exciting match that I saw this year.

p.s. - On behalf of 177, I really want to thank Cordis for picking us in the draft and then letting us play in the eliminations. I also want to thank both Cordis and Delphi for being such great partners and having so many screaming fans. The noise that we made during those matches made the whole thing a lot more exciting.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Michael Martus.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central H.S. and Delphi Automotives Systems.

Posted on 4/13/2000 4:02 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Erin I know that this will not make your book because you will think it is boring but here goes....

My favorite part was the inneraction of teams, talking, sharing ideas and making the FIRST family a closer stronger group.

We should all be proud that we ARE changing education and the path of young adults. We do make a difference however small.

Often our deeds go unnoticed for years. With FIRST the response of the crowd for a good play, the cheering for a job well done, or even a pat on the back from another team gives us energy to continue to make us all better.

The challenge is to grow and share, we can do it!

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Erin.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 4/13/2000 5:14 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Michael Martus on 4/13/2000 4:02 PM MST:

: Erin I know that this will not make your book because you will think it is boring but here goes....:

Mr. Martus-

I think you are underestimating me. I am very sad that you think that I would find that boring. If anything I am the one teenager who is most devoted to showing people how they should use FIRST to build strong teacher/student communication and I support FIRST being used in class and, though it may be a small year-by-year change, anyone who sees how it really is changing like you, for example, is number one in my mind.
My team is small, yet we make a difference. Any positive change is good change, no MATTER HOW SMALL IT MAY BE. I don't know what else to say, but I'm sure that is going in my book.

-erin

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Chris Orimoto.

Student on team #368 from McKinley High School and Nasa Ames.

Posted on 4/13/2000 6:17 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite part of the 2000 competition was definitely
the 3rd semi-final match of the NASA Ames Regional. We
were partnered up with team 330 Beach Bot 2000 and we
were against team 64 Gila Monsters and team 192 GRT.
With about 45 seconds left, the Gilas knocked over our
alliance partner as they were going onto the ramp.
This forced us to come from behind and put them back on
their feet, which allowed them to hang on the bar in
enough time. This was the deciding match which got us
into the finals. There were other exciting parts, but
that sticks out the most in my mind. Hope to see you
all

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Joe Ross.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #330, Beach Bot 2000, from Hope Chapel Academy and NASA/JPL & J&F Machine.

Posted on 4/15/2000 11:34 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Chris Orimoto on 4/13/2000 6:17 PM MST:

My favorite match was also with the Gila Monsters (64) and the Hawaiian team (368). It was a seeding match and we were paired with another team that I can't remember the number of. Our robot and the Gila Monsters both took a dash for the other sider. They tried to come over and steal our black ball, but for the first time our drivers ran the robot at full speed and the Gila Monsters had to turn around and just be content with their black ball. We ended up with a black ball and 1 or 2 yellows and the Gila Monsters had their black ball and a few more yellows. Meanwhile, our parteners and team 368 each loaded up a couple of balls from the human player station. After dumping our balls we went to the bar to hang and the Hawaiian team came up underneath us and broke off a piece of their robot but were firmly situated on the ramp. The Gila monsters were going back and getting some more balls which they unloaded in their trough and then went to hang. Each team had 2 black balls and they had 5 more yellows than us. Our partners were able to keep the Gila Monsters from hanging for the last 45 seconds of the match, but in a last minute dash, the Gila Monsters almost pushed our partner off the ramp. It ended up 28-28 tie with our team winning the tie breaker because we we hanging. A close up afterwards showed that our partner was on the ramp by only 1/4'. We survived the last second charge and ended up finishing the seeding matches undefeated.

The best part was that the Hawaiian team later chose us as their partner for the elimination match and we had a great run and ended up finalists.

Joe Ross
Team 330

PS I hope the Hawaiian team gets a chance to travel to Florida next year. They are by far my favorite team to hang out with. And where else can you find a team thaqt gives away 40 pineapples.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Ken Patton.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.

Posted on 4/13/2000 8:58 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

My favorite part was in a Saturday qualifying match when we *thought* we were hanging on a crowded bar in the last few seconds. It turns out that our hook was wedged between the bar and a lead screw on the opponent's robot - only a bolt on our hook kept us from falling!

The other team did not even know until our lead engineer Tracy went to their pits after the match and showed them where we were hanging from. Turns out the mechanism was damaged and they didn't even know it.

The great part: Team 157 was (I think!?) impressed with our ability to hang in a crowd. They were watching and smiling as we came off the field! A few hours later, they picked us as their #3! Thanks Mike and the Aztechs!

Ken

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Fran .

Other on team #166, Team Merrimack, from Merrimack High School and Texas Instruments/R.S. Machines.

Posted on 4/14/2000 7:55 AM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

By far it was being picked as an alliance at the UTC regionals AND then being the only 3rd robot that got to compete in the quarterfinal(and not because anyone broke)..........we went to the 3rd round before losing by 1 point to the eventual champs.............and then we thought our 92lbs would be the featherweight and it turns out that team 350(they picked us) was 5 lbs lighter......2 featherweights in a final!! and I don't know what team181 weighed but it was a great feeling to share the field with them.

At Nationals,we won 5 of 7 rounds but more importantly we had a lack of problems, managed to score every time and hang on the bar.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHT #1: our little robot was left to defend the ramp when our alliance was tipped and in the process we knocked over team 96(LEGO) and their alliance...it was incredible that our little robot(down to 88lbs or 86?) was the only one standing.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHT #2: our last round when only 3 robots showed and after discussing strategy with our alliances ,the staff moved that robot to the other side and it was just us against 2 BUT we won! OR
maybe the round we lost against the robot that put up the stop sign BUT couldn't keep us off the ramp, in fact we pushed it up in the air and held our spot!

But mostly I enjoyed the FIRST family and meeting everyone in those very sociable pits....no one in my family wanted to leave except to watch matches.MAYBE this should be called the '10th Annual FIRST Family Reunion' rather than a national competition next year!!

Thanks for such a wonderful FIRST experience at Disney(my first trip there too)...It was very IMPRESSIVE and congratulations to everyone who was there no matter how you did....

Fran
Techno Insanity
#166
: You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

: Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

: I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
: I'll be here waiting...

: -erin

: p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.

archiver

23-06-2002, 22:48

Posted by Dante.

Student on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 4/14/2000 5:06 PM MST

In Reply to: 'My Favorite Part was.....' posted by Erin on 4/12/2000 11:59 AM MST:

Well it looks like I am the last one!
But, My Favorite part is reading all the good stories that you guys post. If it wasn't for all the people posting and you Erin :), the Chiefdelphi website wouldn't be nothing. So I would like to thank everyone, THANK-YOU :)!!!!

Dante
P.s. It was an honor driving against teams 131 and 126!

: You know how after a good movie you always recall your favorite part of that movie?

: Well I was just wondering what anyone's favorite part of the compeititon was.

: I am very bored, and I was very interested in these stories. I hope one day to write a great big book on my expereinces with FIRST and I am currently collecting these stories. If you could post one relating to your team and one of the nationals overall, and one of your favorite moment throughout the season. Ill share mine if you share yours :)
: I'll be here waiting...

: -erin

: p.s. sunblock SPF 30 does not work. i give up.