CAGE Match - October 25 - Indianapolis

[Taylor]

The registration is now open for the 2008 CAGE Match (http://cagematch.wordpress.com/). The competition will be Saturday, October 25th. Event schedule to follow.

[Schnabel]

As far as I know, the TechnoKats are not attending just due to the fact that we may not have recruitment done by then. I however will be there volunteering, so I will see you there!

[Allison]

Will CAGE Match use the rule modification from IRI or will the event will adhere to the rules in the 2008 Overdrive manual?

[IndySam]

Will CAGE Match use the rule modification from IRI or will the event will adhere to the rules in the 2008 Overdrive manual?

That will be decided at our meeting tomorrow night but I would say 90% yes (especially with Andy Baker as our head ref :)

We will also be brining back the mentor round.

[Koko Ed]

I'm gonna be in Florida attending Tempest in Tampa.
And I'm about the only X-Cat mentor who has any real interest in doing off season FRC events so if I'm not going it's a good bet the X-Cats aren't neither.

[vince2171]

There is a chance that the White Sox (2005 World Series Champions) and the Cubs could be playing in game 3 of the World Series on the 25th. The Cubs have been cursed by a Goat for the last Century and one of the two teams sponsoring the C.A.G.E match is team 829, The Digital Goats. The other sponsoring team is the CyberCards, and the St. Louis Cardinals are the Cubs long time nemesis, winning 10 World Series Championships in the last 100 years (1926, 1931, 1934 '42, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006). I will be there unless Ron Santo is calling Game 3. History is on my side.

[Taylor]

For the CAGE Match, we're looking for help, specifically referees, queuing, and field reset. On the webpage (http://cagematch.wordpress.com)we've got a Volunteer tab. If you're interested in helping us out, please visit cagematch.wordpress.com and state which position you'd like to fill.

[Taylor]

Aside from being a shameless thread bump, this is to remind you that registration for the inaugural CAGE Match ends on September 25th. It only costs $250 per team plus an item for the Horizon House or Ronald McDonald House. Knock off $25 if you can bring in a trackball. Spectators, as always, are free. There are still some spaces available. We look to have some interesting concessions, local-celebrity judges, and the resurrection of the Mentor Matches. Join us in introducing the FRC environment to the 2009 rookies and getting out the message of FIRST!

[Taylor]

Registration ends today (http://cagematch.wordpress.com/2008-cage-registration/). If you plan to attend, make sure we know about it!
See you on the 25th.

[Schnabel]

So the thing is that the TechnoKats are going, but no matter how much I bugged my mentor, i still don't think we are signed up. :ahh:

[Kyle Love]

If we applied to be a volunteer for a specific position, when will we know if we got what we requested?

[Taylor]

So the thing is that the TechnoKats are going, but no matter how much I bugged my mentor, i still don't think we are signed up. :ahh:
We've got 45 penciled in, as soon as we receive payment, it will be official.

If we applied to be a volunteer for a specific position, when will we know if we got what we requested?
Within the next few weeks. I think I've got you down as a ref.

There are still a few teams pending - I hope to have an official team list sometime next week. It looks like we'll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 teams participating.

[Taylor]

Here's the team list for the inaugural CAGE Match:

45 - TechnoKats
234 - CyberBlue
292 - PantherTech
393 - Full Metal Jackets
461 - Westside Boiler Invasion
829 - Digital Goats
1018 - RoboDevils
1024 - Kil-A-Bytes
1501 - T.H.R.U.S.T.
1529 - CyberCards
1646 - Precision Guessworks
1720 - PhyXTGears
1741 - Red Alert
1747 - Harrison Boiler Robotics
2171 - RoboDogs
Also competing is the yet-to-be-numbered pre-rookie team from Rochester, IN.

See you there!

[Wayne Doenges]

We will have an all rookie team at the CAGE match. The veterans will be there also but only as mentors for the new Team THRUST members.
See you in the CAGE :D

[Taylor]

Email blast sent out to all participants:

It's hard to believe the CAGE Match is only a week away. I thought I'd share some news with you all to help make the event run smoothly.

1. DIRECTIONS

From 465 on the South side of Indy:
Take Exit 2B (US31 S) about 2 miles; turn Left on Banta Road (there's a stoplight there), Southport High School will be on your right maybe a quarter mile down. The Fieldhouse is on the East side of the building; there are entrances on the North and South ends. Team unloading will be on the South end; spectators will come in the North side. Both entrances have large glass atria; the South side has double-doors for large objects. We will have registration set up facing the South doors. We should have signs in the parking lot, as well as volunteers to help guide traffic.

2. CONCESSIONS

We will offer donuts, juice, and coffee in the morning, and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, Papa John's pizza, and cookies from Max & Erma's and Paradise Bakery throughout the day. The concessions are located on the higher level of the Fieldhouse.

3. CHARITIES

As you know, the event is supporting the Ronald McDonald House and the Horizon House. Show your support for these wonderful institutions by bringing suitable donations (a list can be found on the cagematch.wordpress.com website).

4. SCHEDULE

We will start registering teams at 7 on Saturday morning. A complete schedule can be found on the cagematch.wordpress.com website.

5. MASTER OF CEREMONIES

The person who was to be the Master of Ceremonies had to back out at the last minute. If anybody on your team is interested in being the emcee or play-by-play, please let me know.

6. GAME RULES

We will be playing by the official FRC Overdrive rules with the IRI tweaks. Final alliance pairings will be non-serpentine, with 3 teams per alliance. Stuart Bloom will serve as head referee; he can answer any specific questions you may have.

All of us from the CyberCards and Digital Goats are looking forward to an exciting and fun event. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns. Thank you all for your support, and we'll see you next week!

-Mike & the CAGE Crew

[Taylor]

Our emcee backed out this last week; if you or anybody you know is interested in being Master of Ceremonies or Play-By-Play for this weekend's CAGE Match, let me know immediately by pm or mstaylor@msdpt.k12.in.us
Thanks!

[Kyle Love]

What time do volunteers need to show up?

[Taylor]

We'll be setting up Friday at 6p - if you could make it then that'd be great but if not we understand; on Saturday doors will open at 7a with qualification matches starting at 9. So if you could be there 7:30 or so that'd be cool. I'm sure Stuart Bloom would like to meet with the referees before comp. starts.

[Molten]

I can probably be there to help set up Friday night if you still need it. Not sure what I can do for you, but I won't have anything going on that night.

[lenny8]

Man ive been waiting for this since IRI:D

[vince2171]

The CAGE Match yesterday was a great event. 16 Indiana teams got together and had a great time. It was a fantastic event for new students to see what a FIRST Event was all about. It gave us the opportunity to get 5 new student drivers involved, rotating them between driver positions between matches. Seeing is believing.

All the teams played great. Thank you CYBERCARDS and DIGITAL GOATS for putting on the event and to all the volunteers for all your hard work.

Congragulations to the Kil-a-bytes and Red Alert on winning the event. Thank you Technokats for allying with our team. We had a great time and made a great run.

Congratulations to all the teams. It was a great learning experience.

[Taylor]

Here are the awards given at yesterday's CAGE Match:

Championship Alliance: 1024 - Kil-A-Bytes - Indianapolis & 1741 - Red Alert - Greenwood
First to Register: 1741 - Red Alert - Greenwood
Most Charity Donations: 1741 - Red Alert - Greenwood
Gracious Professionalism: 45 - Technokats - Kokomo
Best Pit: 461 - Westside Boiler Invasion - West Lafayette
Best Tshirts: 1747 - Harrison Boiler Robotics - West Lafayette
Most Enthusiastic: 2171 - Robo Dogs - Crown Point
Best Giveaways: 1018 - RoboDevils - Indianapolis
Most Unusual Design: 1501 - THRUST - Huntington

Congratulations to all teams who received awards, and to 2171 for earning the top seed in alliance pairings.

Thanks to 1501 for joining us in the upset of the #4 alliance and giving the #1 alliance a run for their money.

THANK YOU to all the volunteers from many teams across the state. Hillary Clinton wrote "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" but it practically takes a whole state to host a Robotics tournament. As with all first-time events, there are certainly lessons to be learned. Please give me feedback so if this becomes an annual occasion, the CAGE Match may join the long list of respected offseason events.

[Taylor]

Sorry - typo - 292 PantherTech out of Russiaville won Best Giveaways.

[Specs]

Thanks team 1501 for assisting us in upsetting alliance 4 and hanging tough against the #1 allaince:ahh:

[samir13k]

Thanks team 1501 for assisting us in upsetting alliance 4 and hanging tough against the #1 allaince:ahh:

Thanks guys, Great job on your part in the elimination rounds too. I thought about it, and now i kind of wish i would have drivin underneath you guys when you flipped, and then brought up our forks so that we could have uprighted you guys. It would have been a cool spectacle, and we would have had the points from 2 robots driving laps...

oh well though. there is always next season, plus we put up a really good fight in both elimination rounds.

[lenny8]

any photos going to be uploaded to chief of the event?


-cant wait for next years C.A.G.E maybe ill MC.....: )

[Taylor]

any photos going to be uploaded to chief of the event?


-cant wait for next years C.A.G.E maybe ill MC.....: )

Funny you should ask. Photos are up on the event website (http://cagematch.wordpress.com/2008-photo-gallery-2/).

If you are seriously interested in Master of Ceremonies, let me know. We're always looking for talent.