Atlanta Nationals! Need Help, Rookie Team

[Emily3204]

Team 3204 is a all-girls, rookie team. We are one of four winners of the NYC regional, and had some questions for any team that has previously been to nationals.
1) Is there a specific hotel that a majority of teams stay?
2)Are most teams flying down Tuesday or Wednesday?
4) There are supposedly 4 divisions; how are they chosen?
5) What are some suggested items to bring?

Thanks!

[ATannahill]

Team 3204 is a all-girls, rookie team. We are one of four winners of the NYC regional, and had some questions for any team that has previously been to nationals.
1) Is there a specific hotel that a majority of teams stay?

Glad to see you coming. There is no specific hotel but FIRST does have a system in place to make reservations or your can make them on your own. Hurry, they will be full quickly.


2)Are most teams flying down Tuesday or Wednesday?

My team takes a bus on Wednesday. All there is to do on Wednesday is register and uncrate the robot. (speculation about inspection aside)
4) There are supposedly 4 divisions; how are they chosen?

In the past it has been ABCD...., ABCDDCBA....., last year it was random.
5) What are some suggested items to bring?

Anything you bring to your regional. Tools, buttons, scouting sheets, etc.

[Justin Montois]

First of all, Congratulations on winning the New York City regional. Winning a regional is not easy and to do it as rookies is even more impressive.

The Championship Event is an amazing experience that has been well documented in several different threads on this forum. The link below is to a thread that is already discussing several of your questions and there are links to other threads about Championship as well. Good Luck, see you in Atlanta!

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84421

Also, seeing as your on the drive team, wear some comfortable shoes ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSjKVDgnWwY

[Emily3204]

thank you!

[Kims Robot]

My answers for Championships...
(P.S. you will meet tons of teams from outside the USA...)

1) Nope, there are so many teams with varying degrees of funding, they are spread out pretty well. You will need to go through this if you want to be anywhere in the area though: http://www.firstchampionshiphousing.com/ (most hotels are sold out other than FIRST housing)

2) From what I have seen most FRC teams fly down on Wednesday, some even fly a portion of the team wed, the rest thurs, though with matches starting thursday this year, its probably better to get in before thursday if it works for your school/mentor schedule.

3) FIRST does the assignment for us. Usually its sort of like number order, ie teams 1, 2, 3, 4 go in Div A, B, C, D... but its not decided until a week or two before Championships (once nearly all teams have registered).

4) Smiles, spare clothes, soap, sunscreen... :) On a more serious side, figuring out how to get your tools and batteries there is usually the toughest part. Some teams drive trailers down, some carry tools as checked luggage, some ship them down. Make sure you know the regulations (batteries cannot be brought on planes!!) and work with local teams to get your stuff down there. There will always be teams in your division that can lend you materials & tools, but having the basics you need to work on your robot and some spare parts (motors, assemblies, wires, etc) will make your life a lot easier. Oh and food prices are a bit up there, so make sure all the students bring enough $$!!

Congratulations & hope you guys have an AMAZING time!!

P.S. keep an eye out for 1511's Rookie Meet & Greet :)

[ideasrule]

4) There are supposedly 4 divisions; how are they chosen?


I'd like to know this myself. Are you sure the 4 divisions don't refer to CAD, mechanical, electrical, and programing?

EDIT: question answered!


5) What are some suggested items to bring?



I don't think there's anything you need to bring to Atlanta that isn't needed for the regionals, aside from weather-specific clothing. Make sure you have tools, spare parts, programming stuff, bandages (came in handy when I cut myself), a USB stick, weather-appropriate clothing, and some money for shopping and/or food.

[Bob Steele]

The 4 FRC Competition Divisions all compete as if they were a separate regional.
They are named after famous scientists

Archimedes, Curie, Newton, and Galileo.
The winning alliances from these four divisions will meet on a fifth field called
Einstein .... this determines the champion alliance.

There are somewhere around 80 teams in each division...give or take a few...

Remember that this is also the World Championship (festival) for First Lego League and also the Championship for First Tech Challenge...

Needless to say... there are quite a few robotics types in Atlanta during that week!! It is an experience you will NEVER forget.

Bring shoes you can walk in.... bring a jacket for cool evenings....
bring your CAMERA!!

There are many hotels to stay in... I would contact a team near you that can help you figure out where you want to stay... most teams stay downtown somewhere... but many also stay in the outskirts of Atlanta and have to find a way to the Georgia Dome area for the competition days.

Remember you will be able to uncrate on Wednesday night....
This year we will start Qualification matches on Thursday at 1:00 PM so be READY for your inspection on Thursday morning...

Get some rest before you come out... plan on having fun....
Meet new people...

We invite you to come down to our pit.... I don't know what division it will be in yet. (Pits are also divided into the 4 divisions) but we would love to meet with you!!! We are Skunkworks Robotics.... Team 1983.... come down and meet the team and get some of our buttons!!

Congratulations on your win!! and welcome to the Championships!!!

[Emily3204]

thank you! maybe we will stop by!

[delsaner]

Id like to be the next to congratulate you on your win at NYC, and Id also like to say welcome to the Championships! :)

As you have already gathered, there are 4 different fields within ATL (teams on each field are selected randomly as far as I'm concerned). Each field runs as a normal competition, except for the fact that there are 80+ teams per field; There are qualifying matches, alliances selections, and elimination matches.
Once the winners of each field are found, they all battle it out in semi-finals/finals matches on the 5th field (where FLL champs were held for the 1st day or two).

Competition is exponentially higher than a typical competition, for the most part. Expect matches that will be above 15 points or so. All of the hard-hitting teams within FIRST gather to Atlanta. (217, 67, 111, 148 1114, 25, etc.)

I will guarantee that you will have the time of your life in Atlanta. Each day is jam-packed with excitement. I walked into the Georgia Dome my freshman year and was completely awestruck. :D

Have fun and Ill see you there! PM me for any other questions or concerns. Id be glad to answer them.