Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

I didn't write them all down but from memory.

4206 won GP
118 won Industrial Design
4063 won creativity
148 won Excellence in Engineering
647 won Spirit
624 won Imagery
932 won EI and Safety
1477 won Innovation in Control

I don't remember the rest.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

I'm surprised that 3310 didn't win Innovation in Control. That arm was really good, not to mention the can grabber had its own controls.
EDIT: I didn't see 1477's robot, but it must have been really good! The competition is shaping up this year.

Lol man Texas sounds nice right now.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Congratulations to Keith Buchanan for receiving the WFFA.

If there was any confusion, Mr B had already headed out with robot in tow, so Brian, Emma, and I went down to pick up the award.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

I wonder how much Dean liked watching one of the best robots this year get disabled before the tie-breaker final match...

Another reason to look forward to Chezy Champs. The event where referees work to give teams the best experience possible. Not work against them.

-Mike

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

I believe 987 was also disabled in a previous elims match as well (unofficial explanation I saw was taking too long to set up). Same match 148 wasn't even on the field (apparently they took too long to get to the field). 118 missed a match in semis due to not getting a timeout in on time (but with these refs...who knows what "on time" actually meant?).

Obviously Dallas was EXTREMELY behind schedule, but it's absurd that three of the best teams in FIRST were not allowed on the field or were disabled for a combined 4 matches in eliminations.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Dean left before the elims.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

148/987, 118/624 put on an amazing display of robot awesomeness for all fans. Thank you and well done. I look forward to seeing 148-Alfred.

The robots and the teams are the stars of each event. Let them shine the brightest.

Here are a few suggestions (Frank and team, I am sure you look for feedback from CD too!):

1. Instil transparency: Transparency will help the overall experience when tough calls are made. Imagine NFL refs do not announce what the penalties were. Yes, it costs a few seconds; but it informs the crowd and at the same time, hold the tournament organizer accountable. Mistakes do happen. Both organizers and teams are human. This teaches the kids accountability.

2. Recognize well run events that put the students/teams first: How about some free corndogs for the organizing committees?

3. Awesome idea to bring the Cowboys mascot into Dallas Regional. Maybe we need to invite Carlton (Toronto Maple Leafs mascot) for a visit when we play in the former Maple Leafs Garden next week at GTRC.

Can't wait for our first event next week. Go #610.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Any recorded videos of matches? The website does not seem to have any archived videos up.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

http://new.livestream.com/accounts/6...events/3832663

Watch it over there

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Thank you to everyone who made Dallas an amazing experience for our team!

I have posted a response to some of the "strangeness" on behalf of 148's students and mentors: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...&postcount=114

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Greetings from 3355-The Purple Vipers! We were one of those "mid-table" teams this year! We actually achieved our main goals and dang it...I'm very proud of my all sophomore team!!! It has been the best team hands down I've had since starting to coach/mentor/facilitate FRC in 2010. When we had any issues, they swarmed like ants to work the problem and fix the solution. Our main goals this year were:
1. Have serious fun at the Regionals-enjoy the moment!
2. Make EVERY match-Thursday through Saturday afternoon!
3. Work on coop points in every match...don't be greedy...it doesn't help
4. Get as much information about how other teams operate as possible to make our team better for next season!
5. Make sure our robot was simple, robust and elegant!

We're a very small team with limited technology resources and no mechanical engineer mentors. I'm just an AP teacher so my main job is to manage egos, logistics, and recommend solutions. When I walked the pits; I was deflated. The really cool designs, multi-piece robots, custom parts, cool powder coatings just made me sit down. I had not even thought about any of these things. Frankly, these ideas were beyond my scope-freely admitted. I'm not whining-just stating fact from a different perspective. I'm sure y'all have all been in a similar place.

Did we achieve our objectives? That's the important part right?
Yes:
1. We did not miss a match the entire competition/practice day included
2. We were mechanically robust enough to play with the "great teams"
3. We actually scored the first coop points in the tournament. Hats off to my team!
4. I do think we were the only robot to rescue another robot in the round that had fallen over. Don't know if we got points for it or not. My drive team got a big high five from me for what THAT'S worth. That shows the team character in my book!
5. We had fun! Our team was very very tired by Saturday noon but no griping, whining, or slacking was to be heard nor found in the pit area.

What did we learn?
1. Winning is great. Winning and working through disappointment is better!
2. We need to step up about 10 levels technologically speaking. We need a smarter mentor....I'm not it. This year showed me where my expertise wall was located. Did all I could do...wasn't enough.
3. Big funding is great. Using what we have is better. We built our robot for less than 2K. It didn't have the "coolness factors" but it worked and worked well.
4. We need to expand our support base in our school organization. We work in 1/2 of a weight room. This must change if we are to move forward.

Would I do this again? H@#$ yeah! Would my sophomores do this again? I do think so! Thanks to the folks that put on the Dallas Regionals. Y'all "done good"

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

We didn't modify or change the bot- it was the same not we brought to every other match.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Thanks for the post JVN.

At the end of the day, every adult in FRC (Mentors, Inspectors, Judges, Refs, RD's, Frank) needs to ask themselves why they're here. Why are they volunteering their time to this program. If they're answer isn't FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) then you will likely have groups of people that actively work against teams, refuse to give teams the benefit of the doubt, and make decisions like some of the "strangeness" at Dallas.

I come across a wide spectrum of FRC Volunteer quality every year. Consistently, the best volunteers put the teams first and bend over backwards to make each teams experience incredible. Conversely, the worst volunteers actively find or seek out ways to punish teams for either imaginary offenses or minor mistakes. I argue the former understand why they are there. The latter do not.

I wish FIRST did more QC on this, especially at the Key Volunteer level. But honestly, with incidents like SVR and Orlando last year, it seems even HQ tends not to put teams FIRST.

I look forward to playing in Michigan some day. I talk to key volunteers and organizers in that region. Each of them has a "Teams First" mentality. Guys like Rob Jenkins need to be cloned for the entire FRC community. Volunteers like him truly "get it".

If Frank ever sees this, I hope they consider adding a section to their Key Volunteer training. It would be titled "Putting Teams FIRST".

Until then, prepare for even more disappointment and confusion. Glad both 148 and 987 will be at CMP, but sad their third bot will not.

-Mike

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

I wasn't at the event, but I'd like to thank the field tear-down volunteers. With the awards ceremony running to 10PM, they must have been there until the wee hours of the morning. It's a lot of work to get everything disassembled, back into the road cases in the very precise order required, and onto the truck, and I'm sure they were already exhausted after a very long day.

Well done 3355 -- when you helped your alliance partner up, I stood up and cheered while watching the webcast.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

To add to Jenny's comments...we indeed did not change or modify the robot that was passed for inspection. Our can grabbing mechanism was on the bot the whole time but may have been tweeked out of the 78" configuration while practicing some grabs on the practice field. We were certainly not aware of the condition until the referee measured on the field...which was perfectly within his right to do so. We just wish we had been given the chance to correct the circumstance as G7 clearly states we should be allowed to do. 10 seconds at most on to the field to press one small button on our solenoid and the extended arms would drop down to it's retracted transport configuration. No comment about the other circumstances and congratulations to the winners.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

The Robonauts would like to thank everyone at the Dallas regional for a great weekend. We're very glad we made our first trip up here and now wonder why it took us so long.

This was obviously a strange tournament and previous comments in this and the 2v3 thread sum up most of what happened. From our side of the field prior to F3: When putting thier robot on the field for the first time, 2613 was slightly across the white landfill line. The field crew required them to leave the field before this could be corrected (their 60 second setup time was up) and would not allow them back on the field to roll back an inch. I only knew they would be disabled because I was close enough to the ref to hear them say it. I can't say if 987 knew they were about to be disabled as well, but I know they would not have been allowed back on the field to fix the problem. Win or lose, we would have rather had all 6 robots playing that last match and it's as simple as that.

We are extremely thankful for how gracious 148/987/3802 acted after what must have been an incredibly heartbreaking ending. These guys reached out to let our students know they shouldn't feel our win was tainted in any way. It was just another example of how much a class act these teams are. Nobody has really mentioned what an incredible accomplishment it is to show up to a week 1 regional and from the very first match have a polished and incredibly effective robot. Both 148 and 987 did this and it's scary to think of how good they'll be in Las Vegas.

Regarding some questions about how 3rd robots were played. On Friday night our team determined the only way to possibly beat a dominate 148/987 alliance was to get all 4 cans from the step along with 2 robots stacking. This meant getting the 3rd robot pulling cans. All day Saturday we worked on a mechanism we could add to a robot in order to do this. 2613 was the perfect robot to utilize this mechanism. We felt this can pulling strategy would really be needed for the finals should we get there, so the beginning of the tournament was spent getting this working, tested on practice field, and the robot fully reinspected. If my memory is correct, they were ready for SF3.

Using this robot added a lot of risks. The can puller deploys in auto, but would never re-raise, leaving a large portion of the field blocked. We thought there was a chance this could hurt our stacking and considered it our hail-mary attempt in a possible 148/987 matchup.

After scoring more points than 148/987 in SF3 we decided to try again without the added risk. Same story after F1. After losing F2 we decided to give it a shot. 2613 was in the loop for all these play/don't play decisions and we're really impressed with how they handled some major robot mods and their willingness to help in any way they could. After all their hard work we wish they would have been able to play that last match, regardless of the outcome. We hope to work with them more in the future.

Finally we've got to give a huge thanks to 624, Cryptonite. We can't sing praises for how this team performed loud enough. They struggled through their qualification matches but we knew the potential was there. We did not realize just how much potential they had. This year is about consistency, and they performed their tasks to near perfection match after match, even playing by themselves in SF2 while we fixed a major robot issue. They won this regional and we got to come along for the ride.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

We were there til midnight. We had to be out by midnight or get charged more. FRC 457 helped a whole lot.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

There is an equally spirited discussion about the final match in Dallas at this link: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...=135295&page=9

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

On behalf of the Devastators we would like to congratulate all competitiors at the competition! You all were amazing competitiors and we are honored to have had the chance to play with you.

Congrats to 987 on your Chairman's win! You guys really inspired us with your video and we are looking forward to seeing your video of your presentation.

Also congrats to Winners and the Finalist! You guys inspired us so much that we may just "borrow" some of your designs for OKC.

Finally thank you to 624 mentors for helping solve some of our connection issues and electrical issues. Without you guys we would have spent the entire competition trying to solve those issues!

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Team 624 CRyptonite had an incredible time at the Dallas regional this past weekend, even getting the chance to see some snow, an uncommon event here in Houston.

An unusual amount of robot issues plagued us throughout the qualifications. We had obviously designed around a strategy to clear the landfill, but recycling container stability issues forced us to limit our movement, preventing us from really doing much at all during a match or else risk the container falling out of our robot. When 118 The Robonauts picked us, it was with the intent that we may be able to load from the human player station, which doesn't require much movement. We were glad that they recognized the potential within us, but what really opened our eyes was how much they think ahead and really bring teams together in an alliance. With just a short amount of time on the practice field, 118 was able to get us to a competent level of human player stacking quite quickly - during the qualifications, we averaged about half a stack (3 totes), and we only ever achieved the coopertition once. After some time practicing and then working with 118 in the playoffs, we could comfortably make 2 stacks of 5 with cans and noodles on top. We are very thankful for their choice to choose us at the alliance selections.

We would also like to congratulate teams 148, 987, and 3802. Yet again, we found ourselves on the opposite end of the field from the Robowranglers (we didn't even get a qual match with them! - though I'm not sure it would have been very exciting given the state of our performance at the time). We have always looked up to the High Rollers and enjoyed working with them last year in the the Curie elims, and congratulate them on the Chairman's Award, very well deserved. Best of luck to all these teams and we'll see you at the World Championships.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Greetings from 1296! It was great to spend time and build robots with so many good friends this weekend. Our local FRC brothers, 3310 and 148, fielded some great machines. And it is nice to catch up with 2848, 704 and many other good people. Several 1296 alumni are serving in mentor roles on 624 and 1477 - the Dallas Regional was kind of an impromptu reunion. Bruce (our teacher sponsor) and I are very proud of you all. Congrats to 118/624/2613 on a solid win by good programs and great machines.

It was a crazy weekend - weather delays, teams sent home early by their schools, a very different game and playoff format and a little controversy here and there. We greatly admire and appreciate the grace and professionalism under pressure exhibited by the teams and the volunteers. Thank you all!

Our machine, the "Blues Brothers", started slow but finished well. We'll keep iterating and look forward to seeing you at Alamo! #TeamTether #TeamIFI

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Does anyone happen to have any robot photos? Specifically of 987, 148, 118, 3310, 1477, and 624.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

There also was an earthquake near the regional on Friday. I was told the epicenter was right next to the Convention Center.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Sure that wasn't a stack of totes falling over?

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Well 148 was staying at the hotel next to the convention center so maybe they were building a tunneling robot to pass the time til the doors opened.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

624 CRyptonite appreciates the kind and humbling words from 118 Robonauts on our contribution to the winning Alliance. We did indeed have our struggles through Qualifications but we were determined to find a game play that gave us the best chance to compete. We thank 118 for seeing our potential and working with our drive team to bring out the best in their abilities. 118 is a fantastic Alliance captain, always striving to respect and get the most out of each team. We are happy that 2613 Protobot has an opportunity to advance to Championship and wish them all the best.

I can’t say enough about the first class behavior of 148, 987 and 3802 despite a disappointing Finals situation. They exhibited gracious professionalism immediately after the last match and we especially appreciate 148 reaching out to us after the last match giving recognition to our Alliance’s win as well as 987 accepting our appreciation of their fantastic robot and team. Having been involved in our share of controversial Elimination rounds, we know that it is through a solid foundation of principled behavior, integrity, and professionalism, that these teams exemplify, will the students and mentors deal with and grow from the disappointment.

We were fortunate to be next to 148 in the pits and see firsthand the wonderful machine and fantastic team they have built. We appreciate that they are always willing to answer any question teams have about their robots or their team. It was good seeing the 987 High Rollers again after having the opportunity to work with them on Curie last year. What an incredible team as exemplified by earning Dallas Region Chairman’s Award, seeing all their past Woodie Flowers recipients called to the field , and of course an incredible robot that was inspiring to watch play this game.

We loved the experience in Dallas and hope to return. The quality of the team interaction in the pits was phenomenal and the opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues, as well as make new ones was a highlight. The Dallas Region volunteer team did a great job of managing the event despite the weather situation and kept the energy in the house all the way until very late Saturday night.

Good luck to all teams and look forward to seeing how Recycle Rush plays out throughout the season.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

My deepest thanks to JVN who took some time on Thursday to provide our team with invaluable feedback and improvement suggestions for our lift system. His consulting fee? (*) One of Mrs Coach's cookies (from my personal allotment of two). *Best* *investment* *ever*.

While I don't officially speak for the team (that's the job of Coach Norm, among the many other jobs he does), I'd like to send my thanks to our incredible alliance partners: 57 (team captain) and 4063. It was a great weekend for us.

Scott
(*) BTW, John didn't ask for a cookie, we just thought it appropriate.

John-There are more where that came from (so I'm told).. come to the blue side.. :)

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Those cookie were really good.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Simply put, this was the best weekend in Klein Bots history. After a 2014 season that ended with a disappointing quarterfinal exit in Dallas by a penalty and not making elims at Lone Star, going as far as we did was incredible. We had not had a winning season or regional record until 2014. Going from not picked to being an alliance captain in one year was a ridiculous change that none of us saw coming. We are so thankful that we could team up with 1296 and 932 to make it to semis at a regional with such a high level of competition.

It was sad to see 148, 987, and 3802 go down due to some controversy, but we want to congratulate our fellow Houstonians from 118 and 624 on their win as well as 2613. Coming in to week 1 and facing competition like that was a great learning experience that we will carry on to Hub City and Lone Star. Good luck to all teams as the season progresses.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

WoW is all I can say about the Dallas tournament. When registration closed for the tournament, I was so excited to see all the teams that were attending. It was an interactive display of what Gracious Professionalism, teamwork and incredible machines in action. How many times was the high score of the year posted at this tournament alone? The action was amazing to watch and participate in.

Congrats to all the finalists teams and the display of teamwork and professionalism to get through to the finals on a long day of schedules, mishaps, rulings and matches. Congrats to 118, 624 and 2623 on the victory in the end. You worked with your machines throughout the tournament to improve.

FRC 987 The High Rollers are what Chairman's is all about. Five Woodie Flowers award winner, amazing outreach, incredible mentors to work with, students who handled everything about their robot, scouting and communications with alliance partners as well as a robot that is incredible.

I would like to congratulate Keith Buchanan on his well deserved Woodie Flowers Award. As usual, Keith was doing the behind the scene things for his team and unfortunately not able to be present to receive his award.

2468 was excited to be chosen by FRC 57 Leopards and to partner with our old buddies FRC 4063. Leopard Spotted Bunny Appreciation was a fun ride for us.

The volunteers, judges and field officials battled through weather problems and teams not being present throughout the schedule on both days.

I want to echo Scott McMahon's sentiments for JVN coming by to give us advice on our lift system.

We are excited to be playing at Alamo and Hub City in the upcoming weeks. We are looking forward to seeing 457, 647, 1296, 2848, 3005, 3310 and 3735 again at these tournaments.

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Now that all of the High Rollers have finally made their way home after our cancelled flights we would like to take the time to congratulate teams 118, 624 and 2613 for their hard fought win this weekend. We were impressed with your robots and teams before, during, and after eliminations. A huge thanks to our good friends on 148 for asking us to join their alliance along with 3208. It was such a pleasure to go into battle with both of your teams. Thanks to all of the teams we played with and to so many friendly visitors to our pit. We are proud to say we were a High Rolling Wild Wrangler!

Many thanks to all of the volunteers and the Planning Committee for your efforts to make the regional work while facing the challenging conditions Mother Nature constantly threw at us. We loved the venue and the warm Texas hospitality. Awesome emcee too! We wish all of you the best of luck and a thousand stacks and hope to see “ya’ll” at Champs or even sometime at our Las Vegas Regional!

Re: 2015 Dallas Regional
 

Hey Billylo,

Thank you for your input. I was the Game Announcer at Dallas (also Bayou and will be working Champs as well). I made it a point to announce the foul and explain the G-rule penalty for each and every foul all weekend during the Dallas and Bayou Regionals. Yes, there were certainly some controversial calls made at Dallas (which have been discussed at-length on other forums), however, as G.A., I did my very best to inform the audience (and the teams) which fouls were being called as well as give a brief description of the G-rule violation.

Jim