2007 Waterloo Regional [Archive]

Jonathan Norris

10-12-2006, 19:47

I probably should have said this earlier when registration was still open. But I must convey my appreciation for the Waterloo Regional and the great experience I had last year. Out of all the competitions we went to last year (Waterloo, GTR, and the Championship), Waterloo was my favorite. There are several reasons for this, many because how it is a smaller regional (maybe too small this year...). The regional is held at the University of Waterloo and has a great venue with the pits right beside the field, and is a very open environment. Because it is a smaller regional you really get a chance to play with and get to know most of the teams. I know my team last year made great connections with many of the teams that went there, especially 188, 771, 1114, and 1503.

I have heard the argument that you get the same teams at GTR, which is 95% true, but the fact is that GTR is HUGE there are 65+ teams and you rarely will play the same team twice. I would say to all Canadian teams who are not coming to Waterloo that think of GTR as the Canadian Championship (very similar environment to a championship division), and that Waterloo is a competition where everyone can be competitive. We used it last year as our warm-up to GTR the next weekend, and we got far more out of it than we had imagined.

I would also say that I have met more friends at Waterloo than I have at any of the GTR competitions, because of the much closer environment. Currently there are 17 teams signed up (and a couple pending, 610 included), I hope we get a good turnout this year because it is a great event which deserves our support.

Karthik

10-12-2006, 20:58

Currently there are 17 teams signed up (and a couple pending, 610 included), I hope we get a good turnout this year because it is a great event which deserves our support.

There are currently 13 teams pending for Waterloo.

Richard Wallace

10-12-2006, 21:37

... I must convey my appreciation for the Waterloo Regional and the great experience I had last year. Out of all the competitions we went to last year ... Waterloo was my favorite. I want to support Jonathan's comments above. For me personally and for my team, Waterloo 2006 was a great experience. While we won't be back for 2007 (Boilermaker in Week 3 is so much closer, and will let us compete with some of the Midwestern teams that are coming to our home regional in Week 1) we will certainly have Waterloo on our short list of choices for a second regional in future years. They have a world-class organizing committee and volunteer staff, and the local teams are an inspiration to work with and to compete against. And then there's Karthik -- an all around great guy and for my money the most entertaining emcee in FIRST.

astephen68

17-12-2006, 16:45

How many teams are there right now entered into the Waterloo Regional?

bigbeezy

20-12-2006, 20:59

Team 1592 from all the way down in Florida is coming up to Waterloo. Hope its not too cold because we aren't that used to weather below 30... lol

Bongle

21-12-2006, 08:16

Team 1592 from all the way down in Florida is coming up to Waterloo. Hope its not too cold because we aren't that used to weather below 30... lol

Unless there is a bad cold snap, average march weather in waterloo is between -10C and 0C (ummm, like 15F to 32F I guess).

Here's the waterloo weather station report for last march: http://www.weather.uwaterloo.ca/download/historical/2006/2006-03.pdf

VEN

26-12-2006, 23:09

i think in april it shouldn't be too cold

JakeC

07-01-2007, 17:56

Hey, were going to the Waterloo Regional, the team went for the past two years also, but our team name and number was different.

T3_1565

08-01-2007, 17:33

1565 will be here, This will be our second time.. Seeing as we didnt do first last year.. (teacher problems grrr :( ) but were back full swing.. and no worries about weather it has rarely dropped below minus 10 celcieus all winter. So apirl should be fine! That is when it is right?

astephen68

15-01-2007, 16:12

The Waterloo Regional is March 22nd to March 24th almost april!!! :)

Josh_VK

23-01-2007, 20:59

neilsonster

24-01-2007, 15:50

This will be our first year doing 2 events, and our first year at Waterloo. Usually we were a GTR only team.....
Is it held right at the university?
Anyone know where on Campus its held?
I know the school fairly well have half adozen friends who now go there. Also any of the regulars know a good hotel near by?...

thanks
Josh

Yes it is held right on the campus in the PAC (Physical Activities Complex). Look for "PAC" on this map (upper left corner of the main campus): http://www.uwaterloo.ca/map/map.php

The past couple years my team has stayed at the Holiday Inn Kitchener (http://www.google.ca/maps?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=Ajo&q=holiday+inn&near=Kitchener,+ON&radius=0.0&latlng=43431067,-80475508,8259836120103781180&sa=X&oi=local&ct=result&cd=1) and it has worked out well!

Click for directions to the campus from that hotel. (http://www.google.ca/maps?hl=en&f=d&saddr=30+Fairway+Road+South,+Kitchener,+ON+N2A+2N2&daddr=Ring+Road,+Waterloo,+ON&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=13&ll=43.452047,-80.483952&spn=0.047604,0.127029)

Bochek

24-01-2007, 21:41

Team 2200 will be there, the whole 13 of us.

Rookie Year, we will see how everything stacks up. I cant wait..... now, back to working on the robot. We are slowly falling behind.

- Bochek

Imprudent

24-01-2007, 22:13

Team 2200 will be there, the whole 13 of us.

Rookie Year, we will see how everything stacks up. I cant wait..... now, back to working on the robot. We are slowly falling behind.

- Bochek

Thats more than we have - and we are in our fourth year! Keep up the good work! Its a challenge for everyone, don't worry if you are falling behind - just try to catch up!

Vince lau

20-03-2007, 10:05

well Waterloo regional is this weekend. 1281 won't be there, but i'll probably go up on Saturday and do some scouting, for GTR next weekend.

Bongle

20-03-2007, 10:12

Paul Copioli

20-03-2007, 11:28

I will be the game announcer. With Karthik as the MC and me as the announcer, I expect some crazy antics.

Mark Garver

20-03-2007, 11:52

I will be the game announcer. With Karthik as the MC and me as the announcer, I expect some crazy antics.

I am just glad we have the bandsaws and drill presses back in the pits to try to cover some of those "crazy antics" from the field.

We may be able to work out something where Karthik can ride out on the go-cart Truck bed to the field during opening ceremonies as Blair has in the past, but sorry Paul, you will have to ride on the trailer. :D

Vince lau

20-03-2007, 12:35

I will be the game announcer. With Karthik as the MC and me as the announcer, I expect some crazy antics.

A Karthik and Paul singing duet :O

Jeff Waegelin

20-03-2007, 17:02

I'm excited for Waterloo this weekend! I'm sure Karthik will have a field day with the color scheme on our robot...

Karthik

20-03-2007, 18:35

I'm excited for Waterloo this weekend! I'm sure Karthik will have a field day with the color scheme on our robot...

I'll be sure to bring my Scarlet and Gray spray paint. :P

Lisa Perez

20-03-2007, 19:30

I'll be sure to bring my Scarlet and Gray spray paint. :P

Don't worry, I still have extra blue and maize paint left in my car. :p

T3_1565

20-03-2007, 19:38

I'm so jazzed for this. Going to be doing concessions on thursday for the Waterloo swim team, then will probably hang out with the local team 1565. Since 1281 broke my heart and isn't coming, I'll just cheer for someone else.

w0000 go us lol. anyone else who would like to cheer for us is very welcome.. we have a small group going lol and cheering takes more people than we can bring lol!

T3_1565

20-03-2007, 19:43

I am just glad we have the bandsaws and drill presses back in the pits to try to cover some of those "crazy antics" from the field.

We may be able to work out something where Karthik can ride out on the go-cart Truck bed to the field during opening ceremonies as Blair has in the past, but sorry Paul, you will have to ride on the trailer. :D

I thought we weren't allowed drill presses and bandsaws as per the update that states that we can't have non-FIRST machine shops

Bongle

20-03-2007, 19:48

I thought we weren't allowed drill presses and bandsaws as per the update that states that we can't have non-FIRST machine shops

Update 16 (the update that banned tools in pits) got nearly fully rescinded in update 17.

http://www2.usfirst.org/2007comp/Updates/2007%20Team%20Update%2017.pdf (page two)

T3_1565

20-03-2007, 19:53

sweet!!!!!! I skipped that update and read 18 lol:p but now I feel much better, I didn't want to have to buy a 5/8" bit that fit into a drill putting it on the drill press is much easier lol.

Nawaid Ladak

23-03-2007, 01:09

how did the practice matches go and who looks good so far?

Mark Garver

23-03-2007, 06:58

how did the practice matches go and who looks good so far?

2056!!! :ahh:

Definitely a rookie that is going to be a force to be worried about at this regional...

Bongle

23-03-2007, 07:59

Of course 1503 and 1114 look good.

610 looks very good.

There were some succesful rampings, but not too many. Most of the ramps here are 2ft wide and quite long, which has made for some precarious mountings. I saw several robots overshoot 1114's lift/ramp and fall over or almost fall over.

Excitement at the very end of practice: 781's robot nearly caught fire. The judges/safety folks had to go running for the fire extinguisher, but didn't have to use it. It was spewing the densest smoke I'd ever seen. Rumour has it their battery arced, so it may not even be permanent damage.

Vince lau

23-03-2007, 08:24

how much is parking? i'm heading up tomorrow to watch. Last year I had a parking pass because our team was there. anyteams have any extra passes?

Joel J

23-03-2007, 10:30

2056!!! :ahh:

Definitely a rookie that is going to be a force to be worried about at this regional...
I saw their picture the other day, and they look very effective. I can't wait to see them for myself, on the field.

geo

23-03-2007, 11:27

wow, 286 points in match 12. Good job guys

mrs. p

23-03-2007, 11:28

which robots were in match 12?

neilsonster

23-03-2007, 11:30

From what I can tell from the stats on the standings, 1114, 610, and 1901 were on the winning team in match 12.

Edit: The rankings appear to have live updates at the moment (no match results yet), here's the link for convenience:
http://www2.usfirst.org/2007comp/events/WAT/rankings.html

Edit #2: Wow, it looks like there was a second 286 point match? This time it appears to be teams 773, 1680, and one of 1114/1901/610.

Nica F.

23-03-2007, 14:07

The webcast on the NASA site isn't working for me , i was wondering if this is a problem with just me or everyone.

I really want to see this regional, so if you could send a link that you know works for sure that would be amazing.

Thanks!

and good luck to these teams!

Vikesrock

23-03-2007, 14:28

This link works for sure for me, just tested it. Clicking in FF opened WMP with the stream.

mms://sargasso-3.arc.nasa.gov/waterloo

Edit: The feed is now cutting in and out on me, but it may be connection issues on my end

Bharat Nain

23-03-2007, 15:02

The feed works fine for me in windows media player version 11. This seems to be one of the more exciting regionals to watch.

Nawaid Ladak

23-03-2007, 15:03

yeah, it's really fun to watch this regional, good music, good MC's and good robots,

Pat McCarthy

23-03-2007, 15:10

Oh man, Karthik and Paul make such a great announcing tag team...:D
I don't know too many other pairs that will put one on the other's shoulders for intros.

Nawaid Ladak

23-03-2007, 15:16

did u guys see that rack, man there were more ringers than there are for the awards ceremonies, i thought no one would get more than that

neilsonster

23-03-2007, 15:19

did u guys see that rack, man there were more ringers than there are for the awards ceremonies, i thought no one would get more than that

Yea that was a great match! Wow I'm not getting any more work done today hahaha.

XaulZan11

23-03-2007, 15:43

Yea that was a great match! Wow I'm not getting any more work done today hahaha.

Yea, I have made no progress on my physics lab...

Most of these matches are very exciting. While I've been to two regionals and seen parts of others, this is by far the most exciting. Can't wait until the elimination matches!

1114 is simply amazing. Probably the best robot I've seen.

Joel J

23-03-2007, 15:45

What's going on.. why can't I get the feed here? I must be doing something wrong.

Alex Cormier

23-03-2007, 15:46

how is 1901 doing?

XaulZan11

23-03-2007, 15:52

how is 1901 doing?

1901 is in 6th. They just played in the last match and won 8-4. They scored all three ringers and had a few others fall just off.

neilsonster

23-03-2007, 15:53

What's going on.. why can't I get the feed here? I must be doing something wrong.

The last match just finished and it appears the feed has stopped for the day. For tomorrow though, are you running WMP 11? I tried to send the link to someone else and it didn't work for him either. Other than that I am not sure what you have to do to get it working.

Chris Sturrock

23-03-2007, 15:53

The feed is no longer up. the matches for the day are over. i was hoping they would keep it up for the awards but i guess not.

Vince lau

23-03-2007, 15:58

i'm still getting a feed, its just the sponsor ads
i sucks not to have any sound, but i'm heading to waterloo tomorrow to watch it live

Steve W

23-03-2007, 16:00

The awards will be starting shortly. I took the feed down to change the files I am saving to.

Steve W

23-03-2007, 16:03

Awards have now started :)

Nawaid Ladak

23-03-2007, 16:03

awards are starting...

neilsonster

23-03-2007, 16:31

Friday Awards:

Maud Gorbet - Volunteer of the year
188 - Autodesk Visualization
68 - Imagery
854 - Rockwell Innovation in Control
830 - Xerox Creativity
610 - Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology
1846 - KPC&B Entrepreneurship
188 - Judge's Award - "International Coopetition"
1305 - Website
Derek Bessette (1114) - Woodie Flowers Award

Chris Sturrock

23-03-2007, 16:35

CONGRATULATIONS DEREK!

Derek has been a role model for me since i started in 2005. i don't know how to thank him for everything hes done. when Paul was reading, i was thinking, that sounds just like Derek.

again congratulations to a great guy. well deserved. i just wish i could be there to congratulate you in person.

Nica F.

23-03-2007, 17:42

Friday Awards:
188 - Judge's Award - "International Coopetition"

did you mean cooperation?
Whatever it is, congrats to team 188 on that ;]

Lil' Lavery

23-03-2007, 17:43

did you mean cooperation?
Whatever it is, congrats to team 188 on that ;]

she probably meant coopertition, a catch phrase FIRST has used since at least 2000.

Nica F.

23-03-2007, 17:46

she probably meant coopertition, a catch phrase FIRST has used since at least 2000.

mm I see. sorry about that, first time I've heard/seen that :D

Good luck to all the teams tomorrow!

dlavery

23-03-2007, 17:55

she probably meant coopertition, a catch phrase FIRST has used since at least 2000.

There is no "r" in "coopetition" (Woodie periodically makes that very clear!) :) )

.

Vince lau

23-03-2007, 20:41

Congratulations Derek

Joel J

23-03-2007, 20:46

Congrats Derek.

What are the chances of posting that 90 - 78 match between 1114 and 1503?

Freddy Schurr

23-03-2007, 20:52

I was watching the webcast this afternoon and I was impressed with how both the robots and competition are going.

Good Luck to all teams.

Pat Fairbank

23-03-2007, 21:20

neilsonster

24-03-2007, 00:08

did you mean cooperation?
Whatever it is, congrats to team 188 on that ;]

I did mean "coopetition", as that is what Karthik said when he announced it (meaning it is what the Judges would have written). 188 won for cooperating with a team in LA (4? 22?) to go to the LA regional. I think this is their 3rd/4th year doing this... that is, either hosting the LA team or being hosted in LA.

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 00:46

I've noticed that the flaws in the scheduling algorithm are really making themselves felt at such a small regional. Even though each team is playing 11 qualifying matches, all that means is that you play with/against the same team 4 or 5 times instead of 2 or 3, while still never seeing some other teams at all.

Other than that, the Waterloo Regional is a lot of fun so far.

well, at least we got something else to look forward to, another 1114vs1503 showdown, man those are great

can't wait till championships, if it's going this way, why not put 25 and 1114 going at it for four or five matches

then watch them pick each other in the alliance parings and win it all.

now that would be something...

Nica F.

24-03-2007, 00:58

I did mean "coopetition", as that is what Karthik said when he announced it (meaning it is what the Judges would have written). 188 won for cooperating with a team in LA (4? 22?) to go to the LA regional. I think this is their 3rd/4th year doing this... that is, either hosting the LA team or being hosted in LA.

I was just told the coopetition definition, but thank you for clarifying.
Team 188 did an exchange with both 22 and 4 for the past 4 years.
I've been lucky to say I've been a part of this exchange the past 3 years.

Jonathan Norris

24-03-2007, 07:23

This has been a very interesting regional so far, historically it has been more of a defensive brawl regional, but on Friday we saw the rack almost filled up a couple of times. With a third of the robots being strong scoring bots its been a very interesting day with some awesome matches. It will be very interesting to see how the eliminations play out today.

Bongle

24-03-2007, 08:56

I found last year that the average quality of robots at Waterloo was quite a bit higher than at Toronto. I think it was because for many teams, Waterloo is their second regional, so you tend to get better-funded teams attending.

After all, if you're going to only go to a single canadian regional (lower-funded teams), you're probably going to want to go to the huge super-regional that's only an hour away rather than the teeny waterloo regional.

-----Other thought ------
As soon as you expose yourself as a scorer in this game, you're going to get creamed by defenders. Yesterday, 1565 had 3-4 relatively unmolested rounds where we steadily put up 2-4 ringers per match. By match #5, Karthik was introducing us as "don't be fooled by the looks, this is a fearsome scorer". After that, we were just overwhelmed with defense and drivetrain issues related to the defense. I was with 1281 last year as we played pure defense for 3 tournaments, and this gives me and idea how our opposition felt.

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 10:04

I see that the "random" match generation algorithm was selected, and that is much better (IMO) than the "perpetual opponent" option. Even so, I notice that 1114 has played (so far) four qualifying matches with 610 as an ally and one with 610 as an opponent. Good news for both teams, but maybe not as "random" as the draw might have been.

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 10:18

man, even though people say that was a horrible played match (Q50). That was still exciting.

too bad 1114 couldn't get that ringer off their flag (i would think 1680 would help out with that.)

btw: anybod else noticing that a): the defense has picked up, and b) the match results for the QM's are coming in maybe 3 times as fast as other regionals???

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 11:10

So, who is looking like a #1 draft pick?

neilsonster

24-03-2007, 11:12

So, who is looking like a #1 draft pick?

In my opinion... 854, 2056, or 1503.. all are top notch! Of those three though, 854 has working ramps, so I'd lean towards them.

XaulZan11

24-03-2007, 11:14

Any word on when alliance selections will take place?

Rich Ross

24-03-2007, 11:14

its easy to forget that 1114 has a GREAT RAMP, but don't be surprised if they leave the ramping to themselves after some GLR woes.

Joel J

24-03-2007, 11:16

So, who is looking like a #1 draft pick?
I have no idea who I'd pick..

854
1305
2056
1503
610

I think either 854, 2056, or 610 (who has definitely improved).

These finals are going to be something else!

I think the 4th seed might find their position beneficial, due to the fact that they'll have a good first round pick, and be in great position for the second round selection.

Lil' Lavery

24-03-2007, 11:19

If I were 1114, I'd probably pick 188. I only got to watch 1 match this morning, but unless they've plunged off the face of the earth today, they are probably the best option. Amazing scorer, functional ramps. They seem like not only a great ally, but the most dangerous possible opponent.
If not 188, then probably:
1503
1680
2056
1901
854

VEN

24-03-2007, 11:27

It was good to see a normal match (the last one that tied). Probably the only one through the day. All the other ones were the beat-each-other-up-and-go-for-ramp style matches. I am not surprised 1114 is in first haha, good work guys!

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 11:28

when is pairings!?

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 11:32

when is pairings!?Thought I heard Karthik say 11:45 local (Eastern) time.

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 11:34

Thought I heard Karthik say 11:45 local (Eastern) time.

haha, i was talking to Dan Hoizner and asked me why does Karthik always wear a baseball jersey, i replied to him no one ever knows what he does, he's just canadian.

sounds like they will be starting shortly.

Steve W

24-03-2007, 11:35

They are lining up right now. Very soon

Steve W

24-03-2007, 11:40

Here they go

neilsonster

24-03-2007, 11:53

Alliances:

1: 1114, 2056, 771
2: 854, 1305, 1006
3: 1241, 610, 2076
4: 188, 1592, 1334
5: 1680, 1503, 2166
6: 830, 68, 758
7: 1901, 781, 773
8: 1846, 1246, 1815

edit: omg I'm heading to the PAC right now!!!

Steve W

24-03-2007, 11:55

1 - 1114 2056 771
2 - 854 1305 1006
3 - 1241 610 2076
4 - 188 1592 1334
5 - 1680 1503 2166
6 - 830 68 758
7 - 1902 781 773
8 - 1846 1246 1815

Rich Ross

24-03-2007, 12:21

way for #6 to Represent the US

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 12:22

my pics

1 vs 8
2 vs 7
3 vs 6
4 vs 5

1 vs 5
2 vs 6

2 vs 5

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 12:36

So when do eliminations start?

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 12:44

as i stated in the other thread, eliminations start at 1:00pm local time at all regionals and at championships

Steve W

24-03-2007, 12:48

Please do not be disturbed if the webcast drops just before the Elimination rounds. I need to reset just before so that I can archive. Down time about 30 seconds.

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 12:52

Please do not be disturbed if the webcast drops just before the Elimination rounds. I need to reset just before so that I can archive. Down time about 30 seconds.

:ahh: :ahh: sounds good, but if it's over 30 seconds im coming up to canada and finding you. :P

At home regional chat:

chat1174754445162

Steve W

24-03-2007, 12:56

:ahh: :ahh: sounds good, but if it's over 30 seconds im coming up to canada and finding you. :P

At home regional chat:

chat1174754445162

Try and find me HA!!!! :eek:

The reset has been done, teams are now on the field, matches to start at 1

Joel J

24-03-2007, 13:03

1 - 1114 2056 771 vs. 8 - 1846 1246 1815
2 - 854 1305 1006 vs. 7 - 1901 781 773
3 - 1241 610 2076 vs. 6 - 830 68 758
4 - 188 1592 1334 vs. 5 - 1680 1503 2166

1 - 1114 2056 771 vs. 4 - 188 1592 1334
3 - 1241 610 2076 vs. 2 - 854 1305 1006

1 - 1114 2056 771 vs. 2 - 854 1305 1006

Winner: 1 - 1114 2056 771

Steve W

24-03-2007, 13:07

This will be a very interesting round. Many scorers and many defence. This is unlike Detroit that had more defence than offence

vhcook

24-03-2007, 13:08

I sincerely hope that SOAP archives the judges' interpretive dance.

Joel J

24-03-2007, 13:18

Oh boy-- first round, 1114 damages their gripper within seconds of the match getting underway, switches to defense letting 2056 have the rack to themselves. 2056 puts up 7. wow.

Also, 1114 and 2056 almost scored OPPOSITE one another in autonomous mode.

If 1114 stops breaking, this alliance could do some amazing things.

s_forbes

24-03-2007, 13:19

Just saw the first match, and I have to say, 2056 is incredible!! That's the first time I've seen an atonomous like that!

Bongle

24-03-2007, 13:25

Did 1592's ramps break, or are they just uneffective? I don't think I've ever seen someone be lifted by them, but it seems like they are so well built.

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 13:27

Did 1592's ramps break, or are they just uneffective? I don't think I've ever seen someone be lifted by them, but it seems like they are so well built.

they are just flaps, that are greater then 4" of the ground. so they just drop them and nothing else.

Chris Sturrock

24-03-2007, 13:30

Looks like another team has done what waterloo is well known for, cutting off their arm and strapping on some weights. team 1006 has switched to pure defence

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 13:40

:ahh: :ahh: sounds good, but if it's over 30 seconds im coming up to canada and finding you. :P

At home regional chat:

chat1174754445162

is that on ICQ IGN ???, i wanna join

VEN

24-03-2007, 13:50

"Looks like another team has done what waterloo is well known for, cutting off their arm and strapping on some weights. team 1006 has switched to pure defence"

Darn, we should have copyrighted that strategy :D

But I bet they didn't use a 45lb dumbell :D

I'm doing homework so its hard to pay attention how everyone is doing

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 13:51

Do I hear Steve announcing now that Paul is on the field as co-MC?

Steve W

24-03-2007, 13:54

No I am web casting

VEN

24-03-2007, 13:57

Lol Karthik don't kill the rack :D

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 13:59

Karthik is swinging on the rack! :eek: (Did he check with Mark Koors to see if it's rated for that duty?)

Chris Sturrock

24-03-2007, 14:00

Darn, we should have copyrighted that strategy :D

But I bet they didn't use a 45lb dumbell :D

Actually, last year we stole that strategy from team 1241 who in 2005 literally took a sawzall to their arm and then strapped a 20 pound vice to the base of their robot to play some MEAN defence.

DanDon

24-03-2007, 14:07

is that on ICQ IGN ???, i wanna join

It's an AIM chat.

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 14:14

It's an AIM chat.

my trillian isn't working properly, if u can, just add me to the chat, my sn is PimpPrince786

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 14:45

WOW!!

and i also thought that was you annoucing when Paul hit the field. :P

must just eb the canadian accent. ;)

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 14:54

Chris Sturrock

24-03-2007, 15:02

WOW! after rescoring that match not once, but TWICE. The blue alliance advances to the semi's! Great job by 188 1592 and 1334. congrats to 1503 1680 and 2166 for pulling that off and moving on.

I just realized, this will be a great set of semi's, 1114, 2056, 1503, 1680, AND 2166 are all NiagaraFIRST teams!

Rafi Ahmed

24-03-2007, 15:05

Was there penelties?? i thought i saw a bot on 188's ramps at the end.

Joel J

24-03-2007, 15:12

Good lord, 1114 is fast!

Chris Sturrock

24-03-2007, 15:13

no. there were no penalties, but the robot was only lifted enough for the 15 point bonus, 1680, 1503, and 2166 had enough ringers to pull out the win by 1 point. the placing of that spoiler definitely made the winning decision

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 15:14

Good lord, 1114 is fast!Yeah! Might as well just paint that rack red right now.

EricLeifermann

24-03-2007, 15:25

The #1 alliance is unstoppable 2 matches in a row with a row of 5 and a row of 6! WOW!

PatrickN

24-03-2007, 15:43

QF2-4 was one of the best matches I've seen this year. Nice balance of offense and defense, very strategic endgame. Well played by both sides.

Edit: Huh? I guess while those of us in webcast land were watching the sponsors, there must have been quite a discussion to reconcile the FMS to the actual final rack configuration. Anyone got a more complete explanation? It appears the refs spent some extra effort to get this right.

The red alliance "lost" two of their ringers in the dying seconds of the match. A ringer on the middle row was spoiled by 1503. 1592 was attempting to stop 1503 from placing that spoiler. While playing defence it appears as if they accidentally pushed a second red ringer over top of a red ringer they had already scored.

1334 was indeed ontop of 188 but apparently part of their robot was hanging off 188's platform since they only received 15 points. The initial scoring showed that red still had enough points to win. However, upon second/third/fourth look, the layout of the rack that the refs initially scored was deemed to be incorrect. The result was that blue won 28 to 27. I made a couple assumptions, but that seems to be roughly what happened.

Edit: The refs should be acknowledged for taking the time to make sure all the scoring was absolutely correct. No doubt they may have been tempted to just stick with the initial decision and keep everything going, but they took the time to ensure the correct result.

Sam Cat

24-03-2007, 15:43

The #1 alliance has put on the best show I've seen at a regional so far (I've attended NJ, Pittsburgh, and NYC and have watched a little of Boston and most of Waterloo on webcast). They built excellent bots and have defeated really good alliances (such as the twins' alliance). Congratulations to all of the Waterloo teams for putting on such an exciting and high-scoring regional. These elims have had it all - winning by tubes, winning by ramps, ties, spoilers, de-scoring, defense, penalties - very exciting! And the finals promises to be just as exciting with 2 such high-scoring alliances facing off!

Freddy Schurr

24-03-2007, 15:55

1 - 1114 2056 771 vs. 2 - 854 1305 1006

Winner of first final match.

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 16:00

1 - 1114 2056 771 vs. 2 - 854 1305 1006

Winner of first final match.Yeah, 1114 got stuck on the rack for several seconds. First time in the eliminations that the #1 alliance failed to break 100.

BBnum3

24-03-2007, 16:09

These matches are really exciting. F-2 featured some excellent defensive tube placement by 854. The 854 alliance is giving the 1114 alliance an incredibly tough time. If the robot on 854's alliance hadn't been stuck in the opponent's home zone then that match might have had a different outcome. F-3 should be intense.

Sam Cat

24-03-2007, 16:09

1. 1114 2056 771 vs. 2 - 854 1305 1006
# 1 alliance wins the second match of the finals and forces a third match!!!
good play by both teams

Bongle

24-03-2007, 16:18

1114 et al just won.

Watching the webcast, I couldn't tell: Did some students get ahold of a microphone and start saying "we're back?"

Sam Cat

24-03-2007, 16:18

1. - 1114 2056 771 vs. 2. - 854 1305 1006

and the winner after a hard-fought finals is... the #1 alliance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to both alliances for such an exciting finish to a great regional.

Joel J

24-03-2007, 16:19

1114 et al just won.

Watching the webcast, I couldn't tell: Did some students get ahold of a microphone and start saying "we're back?"
That was Karthik.

Freddy Schurr

24-03-2007, 16:19

1114,2056,771 Good Job

Steve W

24-03-2007, 16:19

I am shutting down the webcast for a minute or so.

Joel J

24-03-2007, 16:20

Michelle Celio

24-03-2007, 16:21

Congratulations to 1114 2056 771

Can't wait to see Kayla (kayla13) in Atlanta :)

Grant Cox

24-03-2007, 16:22

Wow, watching the webcast, 854 put up a really hard fight. Defensively placed ringers and a spoiler in the final Final must've had 1114 sweating over there behind the player station, haha. Congrats to both alliances.

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 16:23

Watching the webcast, I couldn't tell: Did some students get ahold of a microphone and start saying "we're back?"That was Karthik.Can't fault him for getting a little bit excited there. F-3 was a very intense match -- first a timely spoiler then a race to the ramps. Not the kind of dominant offense we saw earlier in the eliminations from the #1 alliance, but every bit as entertaining.

Congratulations all around; those were the best finals I've seen yet.

Chris Sturrock

24-03-2007, 16:23

congratulations to 1114 2056 and 771!

also congratulations to 854 1305 and 1006 for a well fought final set. you came so close to taking home the gold. you should be proud of yourselves for what you accomplished. Good luck to all at the Greater Toronto Regional next weekend!

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 16:24

I am shutting down the webcast for a minute or so.Will you webcast the awards ceremony?

Noah Kleinberg

24-03-2007, 16:24

Congratulations to the winning alliance, I thought blue could take it but red managed to out-play them...

The fact that it was this close shows how important ramps are... (and if 1114 hadn't gotten keepers on in all those matches the outcome might have been different).

Grant Cox

24-03-2007, 16:27

The fact that it was this close shows how important ramps are... (and if 1114 hadn't gotten keepers on in all those matches the outcome might have been different).

Yeah.. these finals will probably be a good point for people arguing about the importance of keepers.

Steve W

24-03-2007, 16:27

Will you webcast the awards ceremony?

Yes it should be up now. We are just waiting to get started

Richard Wallace

24-03-2007, 16:30

Thanks for the webcast, Steve; I have really enjoyed it and I'll bet many others have, too.

XaulZan11

24-03-2007, 16:51

Good lord, 1114 is fast!

Yes, 1114 is very fast. What's in thier drivetrain?

BBnum3

24-03-2007, 16:52

I agree with Richard--probably the best finals I've seen (and I've watched a lot). The finals had everything--keepers, spoilers, ramps, defense, defenisive ringer placement. I think this was the way Rack N' Roll was meant to be played, at least it had all of the elements for a good matchup. I think this is what we'll be seeing even more next week, alliances that can do it all as the best strategies become apparent. I hope Waterloo is archived soon so I can show all of my teammates how great eliminations were.

James1902

24-03-2007, 17:15

1 - 1114 2056 771
2 - 854 1305 1006
3 - 1241 610 2076
4 - 188 1592 1334
5 - 1680 1503 2166
6 - 830 68 758
7 - 1902 781 773
8 - 1846 1246 1815

wow, my team (1902) went to waterloo??? Hmm I wonder how we did.:yikes: All jokes aside that was a good final. congrats to the winning teams 1114 2056 and 771

Alex Cormier

24-03-2007, 17:30

wow, my team (1902) went to waterloo??? Hmm I wonder how we did.:yikes: All jokes aside that was a good final. congrats to the winning teams 1114 2056 and 771

the rookie sensation robot looked like a mini of yours!

DanDon

24-03-2007, 17:36

the rookie sensation robot looked like a mini of yours!

And 1369.

Jonathan Norris

24-03-2007, 18:19

Nawaid Ladak

24-03-2007, 21:51

I just got all the footage from Steve of the archived webcast. I am going to try and put up the elimination matches first. The footage I have now is only from the webcast, which will be low quality, but in the next few weeks we will post the footage from a DVD recorder. So no complaining about the quality :p

Link:
http://www.soap.circuitrunners.com/2007/movies/wat/

do you guys have the stories that the MC's were saying before the matches started, and the judges match???, i also want to hear the reaction when the scores came up for QF 2-4... i was at office depot then, (life sux when u don't have a car.)

Congrats to 1114-2056-771 for winning the match and giving us some great daytime drama, forget all my children, what about all those Niagara FIRST teams lol (lame joke)

J Flex 188

24-03-2007, 22:50

I would like to take this opportunity to honestly and completely commend every single team that competed in the 2007 Waterloo regional this past weekend, as well as to thank all of the volunteers, organizing committee and anyone else that helped to make this regional possible. This may have been the most well-organized, exciting, capable and exciting regional in recent memory. Not since 2003 when I was a mere rookie member, not really understanding the backstory behind FIRST have I felt a vibe throughout myself, my own team and the entire building. Karthik and Paul made an amazing duo that kept the energy and atmosphere all the way throughout the weekend and when they switched to two MC's you could feel the intensity level jump all the higher.

On behalf of 188, thanks to our alliance partners 1592 and 1334 for the opportunity to work with both of you. I truly believe that had we been functioning optimally and executing properly, we could have taken it all the way; but in the true spirit of FIRST, I am sure that every team felt the same way all weekend, a testament to the level of competition at this year's event.

Congratulations to all the award winners, a brand new WFA holder Derek Bessette and all teams who made it out for this fantastic event!

neilsonster

24-03-2007, 23:05

I have to say I was especially impressed with the venue this year. The past two years there was talk of rearranging the setup, and I am glad they went forward with it. The extra seats definitely drew more spectators, as you might have noticed, and the practice area in the pit was a great addition.

Thanks to everyone who made it all possible - way to up the ante :).

Jonathan Norris

24-03-2007, 23:17

Wow... what a weekend... That was simply an amazing regional, everything from the atmosphere to the level of play on the field was top notch. There was a great group of teams there, who all showed that Canadian teams are some of the best in FIRST. As Karthik announced to the crowd the offensive qualifying matches on Friday made Waterloo the highest scoring regional to date, and with GTR next weekend expect nothing less.

Congratulations to 1114, 2056 (amazing rookie!), 771 (first ever win) on winning the regional, and 1305 Congrats on winning the Chairmans Award! It was great to see 1114 pick an (amazing) rookie team 2056 and 771, a great group of girls who deserved to win, for their alliance. Thanks too 1241 and 2076 (great ramp!) for making a great alliance. If we could have fixed our manipulator we would have had a very good chance on those two last matches. 2076 your ramps were great, you were the reason we made the semi-finals.

For my team Waterloo was an up an down battle, on Thursday we installed a new (roller style) manipulator which we had been designing an building since BAE where we saw our original design was not effective. After BAE we knew that we could play defense, but we wanted to be the offensive team like we were last year. In our first practice match (that we showed up to), we scored 6 ringers a large leap from the 0 we scored at BAE. When our robot was working we showed that we could be one of the top robots in the competition, but the problem is we ran a nasty streak of bad luck. It seemed like every qualification match we played there was an electrical or mechanical problem that held us back. We are working hard and GTR will be a different story.

Thanks again to all the familiar volunteers who make this an amazing competition and all the teams that made it a fun weekend; 1114, 1503, 771, 2056, 188, ect. see you next weekend!

Pat Fairbank

24-03-2007, 23:50

I must say that the 2007 Waterloo Regional was one of the best regionals I have ever been to. The venue was excellent, the matches were exciting, the team social was fun, and Karthik and Paul made one heck of a good emcee/announcer team. Kudos to Ian Mackenzie and the rest of the planning committee and to the volunteers for pulling it off so smoothly.

Congrats to 1114, 2056 and 771 on the regional win and various awards!

A couple of teams I'd like to mention: 854 - congratulations on your 'Innovation in Control' award; your robot was a really effective tube scorer and was mesmerizing to watch. 610 - I was really impressed with your robot and with your robotics program in general; congrats on your 'Driving Tomorrow's Technology' award and I'm sure we'll be seeing great things from you at GTR.

I also have to mention again my dissatisfaction with the FIRST/4FX match scheduling algorithm - looking at who the top performers were at the Waterloo Regional, it is pretty clear that dividing up teams by number does not achieve the desired balancing effect, while decreasing the number of possible unique matchups, resulting in far too many matches played with or against the same teams. I may be mistaken, but I believe that there were one or two teams in the top ten that scored fewer ringers during the course of the competition than 1503's human player. I sincerely hope that FIRST is working to continuously improve the algorithm from week to week.

Vince lau

25-03-2007, 10:48

wow what an amazing regional, high scoring, amazing plays, great defense.
Congratulations to the winning alliance 1114,2056,771
1114 - another great robot, amazing auto. mode and scoring and super fast. I'm glad that I finally got to see your robot in action. I was pretty close on guessing how it worked when you posted the picture a few weeks ago.

2056 - Even at the your off-season debut at Wonderland you guys already showed that you will be a team to look out for. Congratulations on your rookie robot, and all the awards that you have won so far.

771 - Amazing job girls, I've been following your robot every year,since your rookie year and each year your robot gets better and better. You girls deserve this win and good luck at Atlanta, hopefully I'll be able to go and watch.

854 - I love your drive system, you guys like circled around your opponents.

610 - Amazing gripper design and great scorer

2076 - nice simple ramp bot for a rookie team

T3_1565

25-03-2007, 10:58

wow.. how fun was that!? This was an awesome weekend everyone! Congrats 1114 771 2056 on the win! Unfournatly for us, we hit a lot of bumps in the road, which were all fixed come day two, but it was too little too late I suppose. Only one part of our arm works, and our drive train kept popping its chain. It's all fixed now, so hopefully we manage to get into GTR and we will be back to being "the fearsome scorer" that we were annouced as. I can only hope and pray that we can get into the GTR this weekend, because no matter how ready we seem to be, we always hit problems, and no matter how prepared I am, the regionals still are absolutly amazing!!! congrats again everyone! what an amazing regional!

Karthik

25-03-2007, 13:35

What an amazing weekend!!! This event was just a blast. The intimate arena and amazing teams helped create an electric atmosphere. I always do a poor with these threads, and I apologize in advance if I miss anyone. In no particular order, I'd like to thank...

Team 2056 - Since 2003, it seems like there's one Canadian rookie who just blows everyone out of the water. This year it was Patriotics. This team should be example every rookie team follows. They chose a simple design, and finished their robot in 4 weeks. They used their final two weeks on programming and practice, and boy did it show. Special thanks to Tyler Holtzman for the fabulous job he did with this team.

Team 771 - Congratulations on you first regional win. Our teams have developed a strong friendship over the past two years, especially with our honorary Simbots, Kate and Michelle. We really wanted to work with you in 2006, and we're glad we could in 2007. Keep playing that hard nosed defense.

Team 1305 - After three engineering inspiration awards in the past two years, it's about time that you were recognized with the Chairman's Award. Your team is a role model within the Canadian community, and judges description of your team blew me away. Not to mention, you came to play with another amazing drivetrain.

Team 1503 - After playing with you for three events last year, it's weird playing against you so often this year. Your robot keeps improving, and I know you're going to be a force in Toronto and Atlanta.

Team 2166 - Your robot came so far this weekend. I'm glad we were able to help you out with your various issues. For those haven't seen this team, they have a very easy to climb double ramp, and a powerful drivetrain.

Team 1592 - I was shocked when I saw a team from Florida appear on the Waterloo team list. I hope you enjoyed your time up north, I know the entire event was enriched by your presence. You brought us a taste of some really intense Florida spirit.

Team 610 - You guys have a robot that is on the verge of hitting the elite level. Hopefully we'll get another match schedule where we play with each other three times.

Paul Copioli - Thanks for coming up from Detroit to our event. It was a total blast working with you, and I hope we can do it again sometime.

This was the third year of the Waterloo Regional, and each year it keeps getting better. This is a direct result of the amazing volunteers that put this event together. People like Ian Mackenzie, Rob Gorbet and Maud Gorbet put their heart and soul into this event, and it shows.

Team 1114 is very proud to support this event, and can't wait to return next year.

Kate00

25-03-2007, 14:20

It appears that some thanks are in order.

Ian Mackenzie & the regional planning committee: that was the most amazing regional I’ve ever been to. The new layout was awesome, and there was an amazing vibe through the entire regional. Thank you as well for thinking of me to give the speech at closing ceremonies – it was an amazing experience.

Thanks to Karthik and Mr. Copioli for an amazing emceeing/announcing job. Mr. Copioli, you need to put away the Michigan flag and start cheering for a decent college football team. 42-39.

1114 – It was incredible working with you guys – the whole atmosphere was so friendly. The help you gave us with our robot, the strategies that you came up with, you are truly amongst the elite teams in FIRST, with your robot, your strategy, and your gracious professionalism. You made us feel very welcome as a part of that alliance. The whole experience hasn’t really sunk in yet.

2056 - Your robot is amazing, and I'd be shocked if you guys don't go really really far. For those of you who didn't realize, qf1.1, 1114's gripper was bent. 2056 scored 7 ringers on their own. This rookie is capable of amazing things.

It was truly an honour to be picked by the two best teams at the competition. The scoring that you guys were able to put up, and 1114’s ramp - you could have won it without us, no problem.

1006, 854 and 1305 - Thank you for a very hard fought finals.

188 - Your robot was amazing, and the way you went out was incredibly painful. We really feel for you guys – hopefully GTR will be a lot better for you. Congrats on the awards.

Jess Breadner, best human player ever.

I've always loved this regional, and this year it got stepped up a notch. There were so many offensive bots, it was really cool to see the rack almost get filled so many times. Hope to see most of you at GTR!

Nawaid Ladak

25-03-2007, 14:43

Team 1592 - I was shocked when I saw a team from Florida appear on the Waterloo team list. I hope you enjoyed your time up north, I know the entire event was enriched by your presence. You brought us a taste of some really intense Florida spirit.

maybe you guys should take a visit down here next year for the super regional, it would be a blast to have a Canadian FIRST team competing alongside us Florida Teams. I mean imagine the likes of 1114, 1503, 233, 79, and 180 in the same building, only nationals would be a better event

Arefin Bari

25-03-2007, 15:27

I gotta say it. Team 2056 caught my eye from the beginning of friday morning. I was quite surprised to see such a quality bot from a rookie team. Congratulations on the win.

Team 1114, you guys did an amazing job. The gold for the regional and the gold for the EIA is very well deserved. Can't wait to see you guys at championship. Like I said in the other thread, I may disqualify your team during inspection again just to drive karthik nuts. That's something I will never forget.

Team 1305, wow you guys have come very far. I still remember the first day I saw you guys. It seems like you guys always work as a team, always come up with a jaw dropping machine, the Chairmans is very well deserved. See you guys at the championship.

Team 771, about time you guys win the gold. I was very happy for you guys. Your strategy through the finals were very interesting. Good job.

Team 854, you guys amazed me with your machine. I admired the way the machine performed and worked. Great job.

Waterloo regional finals were by far the best finals I have seen. It was all about scoring. I can hardly think of any match where less than 10 tubes were scored. All the machines were scoring beasts. You guys will put up a good competition at the championship. Heck, who knows, maybe the gold is going back to canada again.

oh, forget to mention that the DJ rocked my socks off.

rjmah

25-03-2007, 16:45

As usual the Waterloo Regional did not disappoint me. It's a great venue and seems to bring the best competitors.

Unfortunately, we drew the short straw on pits this year. It wasn't even 9x9 because there was a huge support pillar in the corner. We were crammed against the partition but we managed OK.

Thursday was spent re-rigging our elevator only to find it was 0.3 lbs overweight at 4:15. We had some problems with throwing drive chains but they will be fixed for GTR. Our gripper got destroyed in one match but we have re-mounted a modified one.

We appreciate being able to participate in the quarter finals with 1846 and 1815. Looking at the second match on video, we might have sqeaked a win by a strategicaly placed spoiler.

Kate00

25-03-2007, 17:43

Team 771, about time you guys win the gold. I was very happy for you guys. Your strategy through the finals were very interesting. Good job.

Our robot was a work in progress throughout the eliminations. We added 20 pounds of steel at the beginning, which threw off the drivetrain, so we then added tread to our untreaded wheels. In Finals 1, I think it was, we lost a chain. Literally. They couldn't even find it on the field. We replaced it, and added zip tie tensioners to the chains. I think what happened was that they were too tight, as the robot would take a long time to react to the drive joysticks. We should have it all fixed for GTR.

Thank you to 1114 and 2056 for helping us through this. Without your help, we would have been unable to move.

rjmah

26-03-2007, 00:50

Jeff Waegelin

26-03-2007, 22:44

I'd just like to send out a thank-you to our two partners, Teams 68 and 758. We put together one of the best defensive alliances I've ever seen, and came so close to pulling it off! So, thanks again to our fellow Michiganders from Truck Town, and our new friends from 758!

Additionally, I'd like to thank Paul Copioli for helping us with the University of Michigan spirit. I'm sure Karthik just loved having you dress up in Maize and Blue and wave our flag every match ;)

Mr. Lim

27-03-2007, 23:36

"WOW!" is the one word I can use to describe this regional. It was an amazing experience, and far different than any other Waterloo regional ever held - and I mean that in a VERY positive way!

The calibre of robots at Waterloo blew my mind. There was no shortage of scoring - both rings and ramps, no shortage of defense, and solid strategic play throughout. I'm getting shivers thinking what GTR is going to be like.

There are so many to thank and congratulate: 1114, 2056, 771 - with good friends on all three teams, this is as good our own team taking the regional win ourselves =P. Okay not quite, but pretty darn close! Great job!

To our alliance partners, 1592 and 1334 - I've seen many a match played in my FIRST career, both those involving our robot and those not, but Q2-4 (http://www.soap.circuitrunners.com/2007/movies/wat/wat_qf2m4.wmv) will forever be etched in my mind as one of the most exciting matches I've ever witnessed, not only for what happend in those 2:15, but for also for the ensuing 20 minutes of drama.

To 1503, 1680 and 2166, the alliance who defeated us in the quarters - we couldn't have lost to a classier group. I'm sure there were moments of panic after Q2-4, but in the end, I'm glad that the refs took the time to correct the mistake, and ensured that the right alliance moved on. Our students and I mentally scored it 28-27 your win, at the end of the match. We were just as perplexed, however far more excited, when we saw the incorrect score posted.

Last but certainly not least, I wanted to share my personal favourite moment at the Waterloo regional. This one is a bit obscure, but fellow 188 members, alumni and friends will certainly get a kick out of this one (http://www.soap.circuitrunners.com/2007/movies/wat/wat_qf2m1.wmv). Listen carefully!

Cheers to all who all helped make Waterloo such a resounding success! And see you all at the GTR!