How does your team travel to the championship?

[Alex Burman]

Last year I remember seeing one team, whom I can't remember, with a custom Hummer, as well as we saw another team in the airport. So I was just curious how teams from across the globe travel to the Big Dance.

This year team 75 is flying down via Air Tran in 2 groups to save money on rooms. Core group leaves Wednesday, the rest leave Thursday. Then we are taking the MARTA system to get anywhere we need to.

[Nuttyman54]

We're flying out of SFO on Wednesday and flying back on sunday.

[Pat Fairbank]

Coach bus. It's about 22 hours, including breaks, from Montreal to Atlanta.

[Manoel]

We thought of a road trip, but then figured we'd have to leave just after kickoff and build the robot on our way to make it in time. Panama gets a bit crowded that time of year, it seems. :p

Apparently we're flying Delta straight to Atlanta ("shorter" flight, just under ten hours plus one and a half hour flight from our hometown to the major hub) and arriving on Tuesday - before most of you guys, I believe.

Looking forward to it!

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Although the thread was started in 2005, most of the replies seem to be 2006 :).

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37155&highlight=Atlanta+bus+hours

That might be a useful reference in finding info on other teams. To repeat from that thread, 461 will leave Wednesday at 1 PM and travel by bus, and then leave ATL right after closing ceremonies Saturday and travel back to Indiana.

[akshar]

121 and 1568 are sharing a coach down to atlanta from newport, ri leaving tuesday aprozimately at 6pm, the trip takes about 18-20 hrs i believe

[Pat McCarthy]

67 will be traveling down via coach bus as we have the previous two years. 14 hours with stops! :yikes:

Last year I remember seeing one team, whom I can't remember, with a custom Hummer...
I believe that would be my team's Hummer, but only a few of the mentors ride down in that.
Was this it?
http://pcpat67.googlepages.com/Hummer.jpg

[Freddy Schurr]

Cool hummer!

[JackN]

The Martians usually send a group of people, it used to be a family, this year it is two mentors, really early on Wednesday morning with our trailer full of tools and all of the teams luggage. Then the rest of the team flies down that night and we meet the group with our luggage at our hotel.

[Rick TYler]

Just for fun, I went into Mapquest and did a "driving directions" from Sammamish Washington to Atlanta. It's 2,668 miles, and they estimate just about 39 hours of driving. I think if we ever go to Championships it will be by plane. Or, more to the point, even if the team goes by bus, I'm going by plane.

I still think Denver would be better...

[Freddy Schurr]

The ERVs will leave Wed, around 2:30 and arrive in Atlanta around 5:30!

Not bad, not bad at all!

[Quantum Giant]

We're riding to Atlanta on a sleeper bus (which is really nice, there are booths with tables that change into bunks)-it's about 14 hours from Austin to Atlanta. We went to nationals two years ago, and our hotel was downtown, so the bus had to be parked about a mile away from the hotel. I'm curious to see how that plays out this year.

[Jon Jack]

The Holy Cows will be departing San Diego late Tuesday, stopping in Chicago for a couple hours and then arriving in Atlanta Wednesday morning. The luggage will be loaded into a Chevy van that we're renting for the trip and the team will go to the hotel via MARTA. After resting, we'll do some sight seeing and send our advanced crew in Wednesday night.

We'll be leaving Atlanta 7:30 AM Sunday, stopping in Denver and arriving in San Diego around Noon or 1PM.

[Miss Summer]

We're from San Diego, so we're going by plane. We're leaving Tuesday to get in Wednesday and then relax until Thursday. But I'm going to have to fly home on Sunday because of AP Testing on Monday morning. >.<

I'm kind of bummed because last year a lot more from our team got to go and then we also got to take the MARTA. But we're renting vans this year to get to the Georgia Dome. I'm going to miss taking the MARTA, it's so fun, haha.

[artdutra04]

Most of Team 228 is flying out of LaGuardia on Wednesday afternoon. However, since one of the students on our team cannot fly, he is taking Amtrak from the train station in our hometown to Atlanta. Once at the airport in Atlanta, we are going to take MARTA to the hotel, as well as for general travel around the city.

[RoboMadi]

Last year we flew to Atlanta, and got discounts on the flights from the Independence Airline. Unfortunately the airline is gone bankrupt and this year we were not able to fly; while at the same time we faced financial obligations too. So showing our spirit of GRACIOUS PROFESSIONALISM Team 612 will be sharing a bus with Team 614 (thank you guys). I wander if there are any other teams who are sharing a bus?

We will leave Northern Virginia around 5 pm Wednesday evening and will be at Georgia Dome around 7 am. As its 14 Hour long trip, we are planning to watch LOTR, while at the same time talk about the championship and stuff..... any suggestions.......pm me.

We will be leaving Atlanta right after the social and will travel all night to be in Northern Virginia around 8 am. And on the way back.........don't even ask...we have two Birthdays to celebrate; one before midnight and one after midnight.. :)

[Joe J.]

862 will be taking a charter bus straight from Canton to Atlanta, Leaving Wednesday 6am ~13 hour trip. :D We did the same thing in 2004 and after 6 hours of James Bond movies the whole bus broke into a huge rubber band war! :rolleyes: For some reason our mentors prefer to fly instead of riding the bus with us. :confused:

[Ricky Q.]

#269 is flying Midwest Airlines out of Milwaukee Wednesday evening, and returning Sunday afternoon.

Best chocolate chip cookies ever on this airline, enough said.

[Jeff K.]

Team 1138 will be flying out Tuesday evening on a red eye on Delta 846. Any other SoCal teams flying out on that flight from LAX?

[Koko Ed]

We were going to take a bus down but Xerox changed their mind so were flying down instead.

[Dancin103]

In 2005 and 2004 our team took a charter bus from Pennsylvania, in 2003 we flew to Huston, and in 2002 we took a charter bus all the way from PA to Orlando!(that was a long bus ride!) The Orlando bus ride was 18 hours long, and the one to Atlanta was like 15 -16 hours long!!!

[Dancin103]

This year our team is only taking 12 people so, we are flying out of Philly Airport on Delta at about 10:00 in the morning, so if any one is flying out of Philly let me know!!!

[379Robocat]

This Year Team 379 is Driving down to Atlanta from Ohio. The team usually flies down but this year going to the Championship was a big surprise. We didn't know until last Thursday the 13th, that A state politician was going to fund us to go all thanks to the help from team 48. When GM was our corporate sponsor they provided a van for the GM advisors to travel in with our stuff. Since the loss of them, Team 48 has graciously carried our tools down with them in their trailer. Thanks again. This year we will be traveling by coach bus and it will take 11 hours and 35 minutes to get there. We will be stopping through the night for breakfast and rest stops. Also to factor in if there is any construction or accidents it will take probably 12-13 hours. We are departing our high school Tuesday night and will get to Atlanta sometime Wednesday morning or early afternoon. This way may be more of a long haul but considering you have to take the MARTA to travel down there or walk it's convenient to take a bus. We were unable to see some sites because the MARTA didn't travel there so this year we will get to go to places like Stone Mountain and stuff.
-Can't wait, Hope to see everyone there.

[pyroslev]

Last year 616 took a one hour flight out of Newport News. (Nice tailwind cut about 15 minutes off) Our local partners 1610 took an 8 hour busride.

This year 1610 is taking the bus eight hours down there leaving at (as one person put it) 0'dark thirty.

[K.Shaw]

i couldn't imagine our team driving that far on a bus. we went to the Chesapeake regional this year and it was a horrible bus ride or 7 hours. so team 237 will be flying from Laguardia on Wednesday morning, hopefully no delays will stop us from arriving around 630pm

[Andy Baker]

TechnoKats will be driving down to Atlanta, from Kokomo. This is about a 13 hour bus ride, given the fact that we are driving the speed limit and stopping every 2 hours (it seems) for breaks.

I think that there are multiple teams who are driving down to Georgia from Indiana and Michigan. Most likely, we will be taking the same roads. Maybe we can leave a sign or two along the way to fellow FIRSTers.

AB

[Dylan]

Team 1549 will be traveling by bus along with team's 469 and 830.

And don't even get me started on hummers. :mad:

[Josh Hambright]

I think that there are multiple teams who are driving down to Georgia from Indiana and Michigan. Most likely, we will be taking the same roads. Maybe we can leave a sign or two along the way to fellow FIRSTers.
AB

This sounds like a great plan, Maybe we can have a scavenger hunt.

I'll be printing up some small signs and putting them up in a completely non-destructive manner whenever we stop, and whoever can collect the most will get a prize!

[geo]

We're taking a 20 hours bus ride with an another team. This should be fun...lool

[David Kelly]

Cyber Blue 234 is going to be taking the 11 hour drive to "Hot-lanta" from Indianapolis on Wednesday around 10:30. Once again, our wonderful sponsor, GM - Allison Transmission, has gratiously donated a charter bus for the team's use at Championships.


**note**
If your team is taking a charter or school bus down to Atlanta, the chances are extremely HIGH that it has an Allison Transmission in it. Well over 70% of all big trucks and busses produced are powered by an Allison Transmission, and manufactured in Indianapolis. :]

[Ellery]

Well As Ed mentioned we filp-flopped this year due to some logistical problems. It would have been our first 22 hour bus trip for all three Xerox Teams from Rochester but due to some problems with the Charter company we had to resort back to flying down on Wed and Thurs on Airtran. The only problem is that we're going to really cut it close on wed night to do anything in the pits since we don't get in till 7:10pm.

We are also having a couple of kind souls drive a trailer down with all 3 teams' tools.

And due to another problem with logisitics we are now staying in the Omni Hotel instead of the Embassy Suites. So I'm sure to run into alot of you so we should chill!

See you all in a Week!

Ellery

[Rickertsen2]

We have a limo, but only becasuse we live in ATL and one of our team members owns it.

[Rohith Surampudi]

Is anybody flyin down via sponsors corporate jet?

[MaddyW]

Hey Definately Excited for Archimedes, we've been in Newton for the past 3 years, this will be a nice change, we'll even get to say a new cheer. Thanks for all the info from previous years, and I hope y'all are just as pumped as I am

[Alex Burman]

67 will be traveling down via coach bus as we have the previous two years. 14 hours with stops! :yikes:


I believe that would be my team's Hummer, but only a few of the mentors ride down in that.
Was this it?
http://pcpat67.googlepages.com/Hummer.jpg

Yeah that was the Hummer I remember seeing. Your team is so lucky to get one.

[santosh]

I think a bus, but I am not completely sure. We might drive down in our own cars.

[Pat McCarthy]

Yeah that was the Hummer I remember seeing. Your team is so lucky to get one.

We actually had to give that one back. It was lease-loaned to the team. We managed to get a H2 SUT to pull the trailer this year, although we toned down the decals to just "Team 67" in the rear windows and the FIRST logo and "Buckle Up" logo on the tailgate.

[StephLee]

1629 will be taking a charter bus down...we've heard everywhere from 10 to 16 hours, so I guess we'll find out next week. We're leaving Tuesday night at 7, heading north to pick up the rest of the team from the other end of the county, then hitting the highway and driving through the night.

Fun.

[MyPoison Dolly]

I think the bus ride fore 1629 will be at least 16 hours, safe to say. This includes roughly 2-4 hours to eat, make other various stops, etc.

With 57 people, in a cramped bus, I think it should be..
nothing short of.. interesting :p

[Kit Gerhart]

Most of us are taking a charter bus, leaving at about 7:00 A.M. The trip should take about 8 hours. A few of the team are flying. For their ~$200 extra, they will save about two hours each way given the travel time to the airport, check in time, time from the airport to the hotel, etc.

[Silent_Stryker]

driving in mini-vans... for 14 hours...

[AndyB]

Flying Midwest Airlines!