Einstein Spectator Experience

[Nemo]

I didn't get to see Einstein last year, but compared to 2013 I thought it was very well produced and a great experience overall. Being able to watch that live felt like a pretty nice reward for making it there.

No speeches between matches! Thank you! This really improved the energy and intensity and tension of the show.

Replays and analysis between matches were nice. The bits of entertainment between matches were mostly fun, especially Bad Lip Reading. I could have done without YMCA / Macarena / etc, but nevertheless I thought the filler between matches was very nicely produced. It's hilarious that they got Bad Lip Reading for FRC!

Alternating between the two fields was good, and I was very pleased that they didn't consolidate down to a single field at the end, which would have hosed one side of the seating.

Having eight division champions to watch was awesome.

I thought the round robin format was GREAT since it allowed us to watch a bunch of interesting alliance combinations of the division winners. I'd love to see the round robin format based on average scores in a regular game with more interaction between the alliances.

[cgmv123]

My biggest complaint is that the people on the upper level had to look through the lighting trusses or at the opposite end of the stadium to see the video walls. They need ones that are higher for Einstein (and the finale if it's separate in the future.)

[sanddrag]

On Einstein, FIRST had a prime opportunity to present their most prestigious award while they still had everyone's attendance and attention, and they missed it completely because they valued an electronic music concert and dance party more. Disappointing. We need less chicken dance and macarena, and more awards, like it used to be.

[JB987]

+1

[Mackenzie W]

I'd like to apologize to the World Champions, Finalists, and others that didn't have an audience there to congratulate them on their win. Our team assumed the awards would be given on the other stage, and only realized that they weren't when we looked to the other side. If they keep this setup in future years, I think these awards should be given on the main stage where everyone transitions to immediately after Einstein, or give an incentive to stay at the field.

[KosmicKhaos]

Well, the stream could've been better if we actually saw what was going on. I swear we saw more of human players and drivers than robots

[Monochron]

Well, the stream could've been better if we actually saw what was going on. I swear we saw more of human players and drivers than robots

Well we did get a pretty sweet close up of Mike Corsetto's face for like a quarter of one of the final matches. So that was nice :/

[Louis_]

Well, the stream could've been better if we actually saw what was going on. I swear we saw more of human players and drivers than robots

Can confirm, and look at all that grain!

[AlexD744]

The spectator experience was much more lively than in past years without the lengthy speeches interjected. Thank you for that!

However, it was frustrating that Einstein started over an hour past schedule...

Myself and many others were very confused about the chairman's award not being presented at Einstein. We always thought that one of the perks of the CCA was being able to get the best seats for Einstein and be seen by all the teams. Many teams don't attend the finale because of long bus rides back home or for other reasons, and it seemed unfair to the winner to not have everyone there to see their win.

Also, the between match reporter was so awesome!

[Alan Anderson]

Also, the between match reporter was so awesome!

I know what you mean.

[orangelight]

I was sitting in the upper level and every time there was a match I had to lean on the edge of my seat to see the fields. If they moved the fields back like 10ft it would have been fine.

[Pretzel]

Also, the between match reporter was so awesome!
My only thoughts on the reporter were, "That's great!"

It's a cool idea but the implementation of it could have been a bit better. Most of the questions were along the lines of, "How excited are you right now?", "What is your match strategy?" and "How did that last match go?". The first question will always have an answer of "Very!", the second will never get an honest answer other than "Score lots of points", and the third one would have been more interesting if the reporter didn't say, "That's great!" when 359 told them it all went horribly wrong and had instead listened and asked a little about how they tried to recover from their autonomous troubles.

I think the presentation similar to a sports cast, with the two "color commentators" between matches is something that needs to be done for a major TV network like ESPN to pick up the championship, but it could use some refinement. Maybe pick the emcee's to be the color commentators so that you're hearing the same voices each time, instead of bouncing around to 2 emcee's, 2 people giving the play by play, and 2 people at the sports desk.t

[Tom Line]

because they valued an electronic music concert and dance party more.

I see no proof of this. Can you please provide proof where FIRST has stated this?

[dodar]

I see no proof of this. Can you please provide proof where FIRST has stated this?

Well I guess when they were telling everyone to go to the concert side of the arena during the awards ceremony; you could take it as the concert was more important to them.

[Katie_UPS]

Well I guess when they were telling everyone to go to the concert side of the arena during the awards ceremony; you could take it as the concert was more important to them.

I'm highly suspicious this has a lot to do with FIRST's goal to "Make It Loud." They did a similar thing in 2011 with the Will.I.Am concert and announcing the chairman's winner, which if I recall correctly, upset some folk (especially because there was minimal to no communication to teams that this would be the case).

[EricH]

I'm highly suspicious this has a lot to do with FIRST's goal to "Make It Loud." They did a similar thing in 2011 with the Will.I.Am concert and announcing the chairman's winner, which if I recall correctly, upset some folk (especially because there was minimal to no communication to teams that this would be the case).

I don't recall them announcing ahead of time that the CCA would be given at that concert. But yes, that whole "there's a concert on Friday" thing definitely could have been handled better that year.

You can "Make It Loud" WITHOUT depriving your CCA, Winner, and Finalist of full cheering sections, folks. It's called "have everybody stay put long enough for the awards".

[dodar]

I don't recall them announcing ahead of time that the CCA would be given at that concert. But yes, that whole "there's a concert on Friday" thing definitely could have been handled better that year.

You can "Make It Loud" WITHOUT depriving your CCA, Winner, and Finalist of full cheering sections, folks. It's called "have everybody stay put long enough for the awards".

It would also be better if all 4 teams were given proper shout outs during awards. 1671 had to go down to the field themselves because the MC started thanking everyone and started to tell them to go to the other side of the stadium before they even got recognized.

[AlexD744]

My only thoughts on the reporter were, "That's great!"

It's a cool idea but the implementation of it could have been a bit better. Most of the questions were along the lines of, "How excited are you right now?", "What is your match strategy?" and "How did that last match go?". The first question will always have an answer of "Very!", the second will never get an honest answer other than "Score lots of points", and the third one would have been more interesting if the reporter didn't say, "That's great!" when 359 told them it all went horribly wrong and had instead listened and asked a little about how they tried to recover from their autonomous troubles.

I think the presentation similar to a sports cast, with the two "color commentators" between matches is something that needs to be done for a major TV network like ESPN to pick up the championship, but it could use some refinement. Maybe pick the emcee's to be the color commentators so that you're hearing the same voices each time, instead of bouncing around to 2 emcee's, 2 people giving the play by play, and 2 people at the sports desk.t

I know and agree... I was making fun of her over use of the word awesome. Roboshow in orlando has pretty good field side interviews. I don't know if the champs interviewer is affiliated with FIRST or not, but it helps if the interviewer knows the game and teams really well. Would've also been good to talk to the 4th alliance memebers and get their perspective, e.g. talking to 900 about the harpoons.

[sanddrag]

I see no proof of this. Can you please provide proof where FIRST has stated this?All the proof I needed was waiting for over an hour after Einstein wondering when and where the Chairman's Award presentation was going to take place, while having my ears blasted out by some (quite good sounding) music as I sat amongst garbage.

[magnets]

All the proof I needed was waiting for over an hour after Einstein wondering when and where the Chairman's Award presentation was going to take place, while having my ears blasted out by some (quite good sounding) music as I sat amongst garbage.

The part I bolded really stood out to me, as somebody sitting in the 200's level. There was a TON of junk that landed on me and my team, including a few hundred glow sticks, toilet paper, and a bunch of sheets of paper. If you're going to litter and throw paper everywhere, at least take the time to fold the paper into an airplane.

The spectator experience full of litter brings a whole new meaning to "Recycle Rush" :rolleyes:

[James1902]

I don't know if the champs interviewer is affiliated with FIRST or not, but it helps if the interviewer knows the game and teams really well. Would've also been good to talk to the 4th alliance memebers and get their perspective, e.g. talking to 900 about the harpoons.

I could be wrong, but I believe she was one of the two commentators from Georgia's GameTime (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135390&highlight=Gametime) so I think she's a FIRSTer.

To be fair, that sort of interviewing is a tough gig. Usually, if it's the interviewer's first or second time doing it, they'll end up having a catch all filler word that they keep going back to, hers seemed to be "awesome", mine was "fantastic" in the past. This can be trained out of you with enough repetition and experience. For me that took the form of watching past interviews wanting to bang my head against a table because I couldn't believe I said the stupid word "fantastic" AGAIN!

I do think FIRST, or her producers on the floor, should have done a better job prepping her about that catch word. It also probably would have helped to let her do some warm up interviews at a bunch of different fields on Thursday and Friday just to get some practice in before the big show.

[Matt_Boehm_329]

The part I bolded really stood out to me, as somebody sitting in the 200's level. There was a TON of junk that landed on me and my team, including a few hundred glow sticks, toilet paper, and a bunch of sheets of paper. If you're going to litter and throw paper everywhere, at least take the time to fold the paper into an airplane.

The spectator experience full of litter brings a whole new meaning to "Recycle Rush" :rolleyes:

I personally have no problem with airplanes but entire stacks of paper, paper balls, glow sticks, homemade confetti, and toilet paper is way over the top.

We also use to be really good at not throwing airplanes during matches. Landing on the field waiting for an hour for things to start is one thing but when they land on the field (or hit a robot) during a countdown or while the teams are introduced is a bit much. I still have my tin foil hat theory that the airplane is what busted 1114's can grabbers

Edit: I loved the cheers from our section every time something was AWESOME! and the awws when it was only wonderful

[smistthegreat]

Sitting in section 450, the screen on the right Einstein field (mass) was obscured by the lighting supports. I'm not sure if this was an oversight or a necessary evil, but it made keeping up with the scoring and ranking screens extremely difficult.

[BrendanB]

The audio was two different worlds depending on where you sat. Downstairs it was extremely loud. Upstairs it was very hard to hear.

As it was mentioned before (and I think has been for every single year) the lighting trusses always block the scoreboard and the left field had a speaker blocking right above that. We had to look at the screen on the far side of the arena for scores. If the screen behind the podium had been used during the match this wouldn't have been an issue. Consider larger screens for the Einstein Fields.

The Chairmans Award needs to be handed out during the Einstein matches not forcing teams to stay during the closing ceremonies potentially missing flights/delaying returns home. This is the pinnacle award in FRC let's hand it out as such.

Kudos to the group that made FRC Rhapsody but that really didn't belong on Einstein or the Up Town Funk Dance. We've all been waiting on long enough to get matches started.

Stop showing drivers/HPs during the Einstein broadcast and stop splitting views into tiny boxes on the screen.

So far we've seen two years of the Einstein finals broadcast with more commentary. Last year was good for the first attempt, this year was less than desirable but also can be given a stamp of "good" considering it was some of their first time doing so. A little more forethought/preparation can go a long way but going back up to one of my previous points I didn't hear much of it from upstairs.

FIRST needs to start taking the bull by the horns on the trash throwing at champs. With announcements before/during Einstein and volunteers in the upper deck who have the authority to remove a whole team if their students are caught throwing planes off the upper deck. It keeps getting worse and worse every year with teams just dumping paper off the balcony or at a few moments what looked like long rolls of paper towels/toilet paper. This is a flat out embarrassment to the FRC community and the stands were trashed although I'm not sure how the venue feels about this because it seemed impossible during Einstein to find a trashcan on the concourse that wasn't overflowing.

A late addition but let's be honest overall it was incredibly boring. The only excitement were the brief few seconds when two robots got stuck battling for cans but it was over pretty fast and happened few times since most battles were won before you could react.

[Karthik]

I know and agree... I was making fun of her over use of the word awesome.

Perhaps you shouldn't be making fun of a volunteer on a public forum. Would you do this to her face?

I understand that once you pick up a microphone you become a target for criticism, but please remember that every speaker/MC/announcer is a person with feelings. Constructive criticism is one thing, but making jokes over word choice is over the top. Maybe I'm rubbed the wrong way by this over the ad hominem criticisms I've received over the years over my performances, but just try and remember that words can have real impacts on people.

[RonnieS]

Perhaps you shouldn't be making fun of a volunteer on a public forum. Would you do this to her face?

I understand that once you pick up a microphone you become a target for criticism, but please remember that every speaker/MC/announcer is a person with feelings. Constructive criticism is one thing, but making jokes over word choice is over the top. Maybe I'm rubbed the wrong way by this over the ad hominem criticisms I've received over the years over my performances, but just try and remember that words can have real impacts on people.

Just to come off of what Karthik said, I had a conversation with Annika and am glad she is taking it so well ( on the outside atleast). I applaud her for that and get pissed at the people who haven't considered how hard it is to talk to multiple teams on different strategies on a game that has 2 main objectives that stay the same for the most part. Steal the cans and make stacks with them.

Side note on it: maybe we could re structure the questions so we do not ask the loosing alliance how it went but rather give them time to digest it because it hurts...been there.

-Ronnie

[ThePancakeMan]

Overall I feel that champs was pretty cool this year. Granted I don't have much experience with it being as I am rather new to FIRST. I had a great time and saw most other people did too. But, please when you have an issue with something in the even please just remember , gracious professionalism. Just take a step back and realize how much work was put into to making this happen. I guess I'm just trying to say, please remember that there are people behind the things you are talking about and they have feelings too. Also I loved how exciting the Einstein field was. I loved the little breaks in between matches and although it has received some criticism I thought that it enhanced the experience and that the passion everyone had was amazing.

One thing that I found annoyed me a little bit was the paper airplanes. I thought this was only a minor imperfection during the event. I understand that it is fun to throw them during the event with everyone else. But imagine how many people are getting hit by them. I witnessed several people get hit in the face with paper airplanes. I have to admit I was a little scared that someone would get hit in the eye. But, overall this is the only negative thing I have to say about my champs experience. It was all amazing ,but next time I would like if people avoided littering the stadium.

[Kevin Kolodziej]

I was spectating from the concourse level seats in Section 406. The view of both fields was good, part of one of the screens was obstructed but there were enough other screens that I found it to be okay.

The good:
+Two fields brought all of the teams close at one point.
+It appeared each division had a "garage" behind the fields for their pits. The curtain was raised slightly to accommodate this.
+I applaud FIRSTs efforts to make Einstein more sports like. Its not quite ready for primetime yet but the match commentary and sideline reporting was interesting - just needs a little refinement.
+The production of Einstein was great - I loved the lighting and how the fields were highlighted
+Bad Lip Reading was the best "fun" moment of any Einstein I can recall.

Room for improvement:
- I don't know if it was related to my location but there was a very bad echo on the sound for the first 10-15 minutes of matches and announcing. It was corrected though so I think it was an open mic somewhere perhaps.
- Mentors need to control their students when it comes to airplanes. FIRST could be proactive and have an "airplain time" on the screen or something, but it all comes down to the mentors setting the tone for their teams. It needs to stop once the ceremony and matches start. I was hit by over a dozen wads of paper, not airplains, and I turned around to yell at the section behind me to please stop throwing things. During a match I was filming and had a student squeeze between myself and who I was sitting next to to pick up an airplane (there were plenty behind me) to throw it again. Also, several of the airplanes had students phone numbers on them. Blair even started to read one phone number on a plane that landed by him while he was doing commentary.
- There was an extreme LACK of communication about how Saturday afternoon would be handled, especially to spectators*. Starting Einstein nearly an hour late and then starting with unnecessary dances and songs was not good. Not communicating the change of Chairman's was not good. Telling people to leave before Championship awards were handed out was not good. They did WFA before matches and so I expected Chairman's to be done as well...but nope. Chairman's was handed out at 8:30 pm. That is unacceptable.**
- I didn't stay for much of the finale but before I left, most of the 8 finalist and winners had left the floor area to go pack up their pits. This left maybe 100 people on the floor and LOTS of people in the stands wanting to go on the floor for the concert. I don't know if they were ever allowed to go on the floor, but the lack of communication about what to expect at the finale, who gets to go where, what will happen, etc, was very disappointing.
- I remember when each division would make a short video introducing their teams and/or the emcee from the division would walk out with their teams to introduce them to everyone. I miss this. While the teams were introduced when they played on the field, there was no fanfare, nothing to produce an ovation from their division in the audience, and nothing to make it feel any different from a normal match aside from a larger crowd. Teams and robots used to be paraded out in front of everyone and introduced to everyone at the start of Einstein. Bring that back.
- Moving Dave to the commentary position rather than emcee of Einstein detracted a little bit I think. I'm not saying the emcees on Einstein didn't do a good job, but Dave always gave histories and connections and stories about the teams. He did some of that from the commentator position, but since the commentary was usually about a pair of matches, the time was reduced, and for old timers like me who do care about the history of the sport and do remember who won in years past, it was a nice addition that I was missing this year.

Overall, I think the 600+ team experiment was a success. I am hopeful next year these items will be addressed and the last true championship will be an event not to be missed.

*I was shocked to find people being turned away from the Dome and Pits if they weren't wearing a badge. No where were spectators told they MUST register..the information said registration was required for shuttle bus use and for admission to special events (like the finale). While registration is not a big hassle, it goes against what FIRST has established as free and accessible events. The staff checking for badges were not the most friendly (from what I saw) and may not have clearly directed spectators to the registration boothes.

** in 2011, I don't recall if it was communicated that the Chairman's Award would be given at the concert on Friday, however, RCA teams were given special access to the floor which clued you in that something might be happening.

[Amo10]

Just some background since I worked with Annika at three events this year, Georgia Southern Classic Regional, Peachtree, and a bit on the floor of Einstein. At both GSCR and Peachtree Annika was one of the two commentators of GameTime who preformed interviews with teams about different things they do and provided after match commentary after 3 or 4 matches during the eliminations. There was a team of people behind GameTime constantly watching matches throughout the event and keeping facts on teams. At Championship there wasn't a team of these people behind Annika although there was a team for the match break desk. She would catch someone from one of the teams, the camera guy would do white balance, and within 10 seconds she would be live in front of thousands of people interviewing someone. It was a constant rush and because of the way FRC is it is hard to fix the issue of the speed and depth of the field interviews with the window of time between matches. Luckily she is awesome so she isn't mad about all of the comments. I definitely think that there need to be some improvements to the commentary during Einstein but having worked behind the scenes of 3 commentary shows during this season I can tell you there is a lot more work and logistics than you expect with even simple interviews.
- Andrew

[James1902]

Thanks for the background, I forgot you guys did Peachtree as well this year, and i'm glad to hear she hasn't been put off by the comments. It's a tough job, I'm glad to see that FIRST is making an effort to include at least some of the community productions in the big show.

I can tell you there is a lot more work and logistics than you expect with even simple interviews.


I know that feel man.

[mklinker]

- There was an extreme LACK of communication about how Saturday afternoon would be handled, especially to spectators*. Starting Einstein nearly an hour late and then starting with unnecessary dances and songs was not good. Not communicating the change of Chairman's was not good. Telling people to leave before Championship awards were handed out was not good.

I had the honor of serving as the lead queuer on the Einstein "Mass" field and I can tell you much of what you mention in your quote was a direct result of the delays in changing the fields over to Einstein "Mass" and "Energy" while also setting up the stage and arranging for Einstein pits. All of this was scheduled to be done immediately following the end of division play but the Tesla division started very late as a result of the traffic jam on the robot highway. Once FIRST took control of Einstein, there were several adjustments made including not completing field testing for all teams. Although it was never stated to the volunteer help I would suggest that the decision to move the Chairman's Award to the other end of the stadium was also made on the fly as a result of the delays. I am certain that FIRST will be looking at this and making improvements for the 2016 Championships.

[AlexD744]

Perhaps you shouldn't be making fun of a volunteer on a public forum. Would you do this to her face?

I understand that once you pick up a microphone you become a target for criticism, but please remember that every speaker/MC/announcer is a person with feelings. Constructive criticism is one thing, but making jokes over word choice is over the top. Maybe I'm rubbed the wrong way by this over the ad hominem criticisms I've received over the years over my performances, but just try and remember that words can have real impacts on people.

Thank you for this reminder, I meant it in good fun, but realize that intentions aren't always clear. It seemed like she was taking it well, especially since on Yik Yak she said she knew she was doing it, and even played it up, which was actually really funny.

To clear the air, Annika, if you are reading this, I APPLAUD your courage to go up and talk with no script in front of thousands of people. I know I could never do your job, and definitely wouldn't have thought of playing into the criticism. Thank you for your time and dedication to this program.

[Brandon_L]

All the proof I needed was waiting for over an hour after Einstein wondering when and where the Chairman's Award presentation was going to take place, while having my ears blasted out by some (quite good sounding) music as I sat amongst garbage.

To echo that last statement a bit, before this years champs I didn't really have an opinion on the paper airplanes during Einstein/speeches, but being a witness to it in person this year I guess put it into perspective. It was kind of ridiculous, and in some cases dangerous. I witnessed one airplane with a clothespin clipped to the front miss someone who, let's just say, had the thrower known who they almost dome'd in the head probably would have thought twice (not that its okay if it wasn't this person). Instead it smacked the back of this persons seat and made a noise loud enough where the entire team I was sitting with turned and looked. Another one landed in front of me with some obscenities directed at a certain team scribbled all over it. That's just unacceptable.

Other then the airplanes, overall Einstein was a great experiance. I agree chairman's could have and should have been done between matches at some point, perhaps early on so the winning team gets those great seats. The commentary/random Einstein team facts were neat, and the match interviews are a great idea but seemed a little rushed.

[Citrus Dad]

I thought there were several interesting team and human interest stories that the MCs and/or announcers might have played up more, e.g., that 118/1671/1678 had finished 1-2-3 in quals at Sacramento with 118 & 1678 teaming up. Has an Einstein alliance ever come from a single Regional before? Or more about how 1114 and 148 produced two of the most innovative solutions fielded this year, or at least has the most WOW factor, and now were teamed up.

[jimbo493]

I dont know how feasible this is, but I think it would be better if they were to Einstein and ceremonies on the Wide sides of the stadium, this would allow for better seats for people I think, however I think the stage cant go anywhere else, because they need room for show control and queuing behind it.

[mklinker]

I dont know how feasible this is, but I think it would be better if they were to Einstein and ceremonies on the Wide sides of the stadium, this would allow for better seats for people I think, however I think the stage cant go anywhere else, because they need room for show control and queuing behind it.

There was plenty of room for Tesla and Archimedes to run with the Einstein stage and pits in place. It would have been much easier than the transition that occurred. The stage would not have been in the way and there were pits behind the wall already. a slight adjustment to the pits for division finals would have allowed a quick transition to Einstein.

[PayneTrain]

Perhaps you shouldn't be making fun of a volunteer on a public forum. Would you do this to her face?

I understand that once you pick up a microphone you become a target for criticism, but please remember that every speaker/MC/announcer is a person with feelings. Constructive criticism is one thing, but making jokes over word choice is over the top. Maybe I'm rubbed the wrong way by this over the ad hominem criticisms I've received over the years over my performances, but just try and remember that words can have real impacts on people.

I don't see the point of even needing to provide constructive criticism to Annika (who is awesome, seriously!) considering the scenario she was placed into by FIRST was not remotely ideal.

Drew Brees isn't taking reporter's questions during timeouts of a regular season New Orleans Saints football game, and he has a $100+ million contract. Why does FIRST think amateur teenagers should be interviewed during their timeouts at the equivalent of the Super Bowl? Like they need to focus on what to say to 30k people looking at the video boards... If you're gonna take Dave Verbrugge off the field, give him some time to talk about the teams and their accomplishments and how their work plays into the strategies of the game in front of audiences. Don't put a dozen people in a situation they don't want to be in for no net benefit. Throw it to one of the half dozen crucial faces of FIRST volunteers that make events great.

[75vs1885]

I agree with what was mentioned about the lighting trusses being in the way of the fields.
I also wanted to single out " the great Recycling War" it was the perfect was to start the last match of the season, I don't know how long the pulling lasted but it was seriously the best part of einstein.