Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

No threads so I thought that I would do a call out for this great regional. I will be attending for the 3rd time as LRI. I can tell you from experience that the Quebec teams are growing rapidly and will be a major force in the very near future. I have worked with the team there, sharing ideas and helping were I can. They listen to all suggestions on how they can become the best. There is a big movement going on and FIRST will benefit from these folks.

Don't forget to watch the webcast. The show that is put on is amazing and you will be able to see and hear the excitement of the teams. It will probably be all French broadcast buy it will help everyone to brush up on their language skills.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Great to hear you're coming back Steve, and glad you enjoy our little party! Montreal is a unique event in a unique city, hope the CD community get a chance to check it out online.

Now back to putting our robot on the Hollywood Diet...

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Thank you so much for your time and your kind words, Steve! We hope you'll enjoy your stay in Montréal :)

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Team 4955 will be there for its first competition ever! Nervous but incredibly excited!

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

In past years (2012, 2013) I've found Montreal to do a pretty good job of bilingualizing the event.

Yes, its predominantly in French, but I found the MC and GA did a good job switching on the fly to English when talking to or about an anglophone team. As an anglophone spectator with a 9th-grade Ontario Curriculum-level French understanding? I had no trouble following the action.

I did find it interesting, though, that the MC in Montreal typically called out teams by individual digits regardless of language (ie. 3990 = trois-neuf-neuf-zero, 1075 = one-zero-seven-five), as compared to the grouped method most FIRSTers have used forever (ie. 1075 = ten seventy-five). At events, I've even heard francophone teams do the same (ie. 3990 = trente-neuf quatre-vingt dix), so I don't think its a language thing, but just that MC's style.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Looking forward to see you all! Especially friends outside out Montreal ;)

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

It's definitely that MC's thing. Trust me, in French, it's faster and easier to say 39-90 than 3-9-9-0. He's joyful, sensationalist and dramatic though, so it adds to the suspense!

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Competition has begun. Let fun fun increase!!!

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Just wanted to let everyone know that most of today's matches are archived on http://www.watchfirstnow.com/archives

Search by team number or by event code QCMO

- Bochek

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are aware of the audio hum on the Montreal webcast this morning. We will get it fixed ASAP.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Did anyone record the order of alliance selections?

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

It was fun to watch the event. Great job. My son is in the 5th grade at a French immersion school in Columbus, and was able to follow the announcer and MC. (We just started Lego robotics there and I am hoping at some point in the future they will be able to go to an FLL event in Quebec.)

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I did, but I'm on a train back home at the moment and my notebook is tucked away in my bag. If nobody else posts it in the meantime, I'll do it after I get back.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Okay - here it is based on my (unofficial) notes.

The format goes ALLIANCE CAPTAIN - FIRST PICK - SECOND PICK (COMMENTS):

#1 - 3990 - 3360 - 4950
#2 - 3387 - 3986 - 3382 (Note: 3386 was the original first pick and declined)
#3 - 5095 - 2626 - 3969
#4 - 1075 - 3986 - 5179
#5 - 3386 - 1846 - 4957
#6 - 3981 - 3550 - 3117
#7 - 4526 - 3987 - 3988
#8 - 4007 - 4492 - 4952

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I would like to thank all of the volunteers in Montreal. A special call out to the inspectors that had to put up with me. You were a great team and because of your dedication and observation skills we were able to get everyone into their first match and keep the quality of the teams up as fixes and improvements were made. This has been a difficult year with changes and a high contact game but you made my job so much more easy with your professionalism.

To the teams, high fives to you all. Every one that we met and identified problems with worked with the inspectors to rectify the problem. No whining of complaining with make the weekend less stressful for all. I have noticed that the Quebec teams are beginning to make better robots every year. Some of the teams would give ANY team in FIRST a run for their money.

To the organizing committee, thank you for inviting this old man. Your event is amazing. The positive atmosphere that is shown all through the program shows your dedication not only to the program but especially for the students. Kudos for one of the best events in FIRST. I was honored to be invited to this event.

Great committee, Great volunteers, great mentors. great student, great attitudes all add up to another GREAT event.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Thanks. I've found one typo. 3986 was listed twice. The first pick of the #4 alliance was 3985.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Whoops. Sometimes my handwriting is so bad even I can't read it. :o

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Just wanted to thank everyone who participated in Montréal, from the volunteers to the organizing committee and all teams, students and mentors. Montréal is not the typical FRC regional you can expect, but you get used to its uniqueness.

Thank you Steve (LRI) for your time in Montréal: your immense experience is greatly appreciated, especially for this (still very) young event.

Despite being our third regional win in a row in Montréal, all teams here in Québec are getting increasingly better and fiercer. It's always a pleasure to play with you guys.

Thank you 3360 and 4950 for being awesome alliance partners.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

The 2014 Montreal Regional wrap up video created by our students, from Team 3990: Tech for Kids point of view. Hope you enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ISY--BdOY

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Hello! We'll be competing in Montreal this year and are super excited/nervous!! We're from Rochester, NY (most with little French experience) and were wondering if anyone has any tips for us. We're discussing having a crash course in French for the whole team! lol I assume most of the volunteers and especially judges know English, but I know it's not always safe to assume.

We are looking forward to it because it always looks like a great, fun event on the webcast. And we'll be competing against a lot of teams we haven't seen before, which is something we're really looking forward to before we become a District.

Thanks!

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I attended the Montreal regional in its first year, and I have to say it was the most fun event I've ever been to. The organizing committee knows how to put on a show, with an event atmosphere that's unparalleled. You will have some volunteers, possibly including judges, who don't speak English, however they've always ensured that their are enough bilingual volunteers to accommodate the anglophone teams. They've done a great job over the years to minimize the impact of the language barrier.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Could you or someone involved in planning this event expand on what they have done? I'm genuinely curious.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I'm not involved in the planning, but I do have this picture.



https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...1feb4c6249785b

The combination of the intense lighting and the DJ make the event feel like an actual rock concert (except the sound levels are low enough that they aren't painful after a 10 hour day). The organizing committee truly spares no expense when they put this event on. In recent years they had a tunnel for teams exiting and entering the field, that lights up red or blue depending on which alliance had won the previous match. The magnitude of the show is something else.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Sorry, distracted posting, I meant regarding lowering the impact of the language barrier.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I was the LRI since the start of this regional. I will not be attending this year as the new LRI is a great guy and with three years of training can now take over the reigns. I speak very little and I mean very little French. I did not have any issues with the language barrier however the MC last year was always speaking French ( what I heard anyway) and most of the speeches where French. Even then I would say that this is one if not the premier event of FIRST. It even gives Champs a run for its money. Take my word for it that you will have a great time.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Thank you so much, Karthik and Steve! We are really excited because we have heard such great things about the event! I'm sure we'll have tons of fun, even if we are a little bit of a "fish out of water." Being out of our comfort zones will make it more interesting! Our students are really excited.

If any other anglophone teams have attended and have tips for me to make the language barrier between volunteers easier, let me know!

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

I would say that having a little french ''crash course'', especially for your drive team, would be useful. Speaking/understanding a little french will help as some students from quebec teams might not be able to run a strategic meeting in english.

Hope to see you there, it'll be a lot of fun :)

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

This is good to know. Do you think having a translator, we have a student that is fluent in French, for prematch meetings would be useful as well? I am planning on learning basic French for the event especially since there is a trend that games tend to require a lot of planning and communication before and during matches.

Re: Festival de Robotique FRC a Montreal Regional
 

Yes, it would definitely be helpful to have a translator for prematch meetings

Nice :) Though I don't think it would be a problem finding at least one person who speaks english in each team (else they will have a hard time if they go to CMP !) and the event staff will be bilingual as well. In the city, you don't have to worry as english is pretty common but just in case, it's always a good idea to have a basic french to be able to communicate because you never know when you might have to use it.

If you have any questions before the event, don't hesitate to ask and i'll do my best to help !