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-   -   2015 Virginia Regional (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135825)

JamesBrown 16-03-2015 11:35

2015 Virginia Regional
 
The Virginia Regional is coming up this week. I wanted to start a thread to keep all discussion in one place.

Team List is available here: https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index....t_teams=number

Of the 64 teams attending,
54 are from Virginia
4 are from South Carolina
2 are from Brazil
2 are from the Netherlands
1 is from Maryland and
1 is from New York.

For 56 teams this will be their first or only regional of the year.
Of the other 8, 7 competed in Palmetto, and 1 in Arkansas. No teams have Regional Champion, or Chairman's award wins yet this season.

notmattlythgoe 16-03-2015 11:39

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Looking forward to seeing how all of the teams tackled this year's engineering challenge and seeing all of our friends. Also, looking forward to meeting the first time attendees of the Virginia Regional.

JamesBrown 16-03-2015 11:45

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Personally speaking, this will be my first time at the Virginia regional, and the second trip for team 5279.

After a very educational first year featuring a Dozer like bot, 5279 is excited to return with a new team, almost all new students and mentors. We believe we will be fielding a much more reliable and effective bot this year, and we are looking forward to competing at VCU.

Our 2015 bot "Buford T. Justice" is capable of actively holding 5 Totes, or 3 totes and a Recycle Container. We can also lift a stack of up to 3 totes and a recycle container high enough to place the stack on a stack of up to 5 totes to complete a capped stack of 6.

Pictures of this years bot can be found here (Apologies about the picture orientation):
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/41625

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/41633

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/41634

KushP384 16-03-2015 12:25

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I'm really excited to see not only some of our local friends, but the teams from Brazil and the Netherlands. It's not very often we get to interact with teams from South America, let alone Europe! The level of competition has also augmented exponentially these past couple of years. Should be an eventful three days. :D

jreneew2 16-03-2015 13:21

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I can't wait to go to Virginia this year! I am looking forward to seeing all the really friendly teams there. Mech Tech Dragons, Triple Helix, Maximum Oz. etc. I can't wait to see the new teams as well. I hope everyone has a great time and a great competition. The last two years in Virginia have been awesome and I can't wait for this year. :-)

JOClarke 16-03-2015 13:23

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Teams coming to VA regional:
122
339
342
346
383
384
388
401
422
539
540
611
617
619
1033
1086
1095
1137
1156
1262
1287
1522
1541
1598
1599
1610
1719
1731
1758
1793
1895
1908
2028
2053
2106
2107
2363
2402
2988
2998
3072
3136
3168
3258
3274
3359
3361
3373
3455
3489
3709
3872
3939
4286
4466
4481
4538
4714
4969
5279
5412
5425
5546
5724

dougwilliams 16-03-2015 21:25

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Looking forward to playing in Virginia later this week (we still have lots of snow on the ground in NY).

We just posted details, videos, and list of all of our latest robot features and auto modes (including 3 tote stack, and step recycling container grabber) over in this thread:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh....php?p=1458518

Should be a fun game!!

DRH2o 16-03-2015 22:30

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Really looking forward to the VA Regional this year. One of our really great sponsors -- Mid-Atlantic Broadband has developed a side competition for the 6 SOVA Teams they Sponsor (only 5 of us are at VA). We are #MBC_FRC_Teams (1095, 1262, 1598, 3258, and 5279). This is the MBC Challenge Cup (link here http://m.mbc-va.com/news/details/id/...host-mbc-chall ) There is a social media challenge as well -- tweet #MBCChallengeCup #teamtalon1598 to help us win :D . You can substitute the team #(otherteam) to help other teams as well, but I'm not going to put their # here -- we want to win. They can tell you their # if they want to. THANK YOU Mid-Atlantic Broadband !!!!

Maldridge422 16-03-2015 23:57

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I'm sure some other teams have revealed their bots, but here's what I was able to easily find on a few of the robots that will be at the Seigel Center:

TALON 540
1086 Blue Cheese
1156 Under Control
2363 Triple Helix
4481 Rembrandts

TDav540 17-03-2015 09:44

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Maldridge422 (Post 1458595)
I'm sure some other teams have revealed their bots, but here's what I was able to easily find on a few of the robots that will be at the Seigel Center:

TALON 540
1086 Blue Cheese
1156 Under Control
2363 Triple Helix
4481 Rembrandts

1156 (Under Control, from Brazil) posted there video on CD earlier as well.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...highlight=1156

TALON 540 is really excited to be attending VA once again! We can't wait!

Noudvanbrunscho 17-03-2015 11:05

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
After about 24 hours of travelling, Team Rembrandts and Team Impossible Robotics from the Netherlands arrived in Richmond yesterday!
We still need to time to get some extra sleep but we feel almost ready.
We can not wait for the competition to start and we will see you all thursday!
:)

PayneTrain 17-03-2015 11:32

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Noudvanbrunscho (Post 1458738)
After about 24 hours of travelling, Team Rembrandts and Team Impossible Robotics from the Netherlands arrived in Richmond yesterday!
We still need to time to get some extra sleep but we feel almost ready.
We can not wait for the competition to start and we will see you all thursday!
:)

Y'all want any restaurant recommendations or sightseeing suggestions or something or are you just getting some sleep?

wilsonmw04 17-03-2015 11:51

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by PayneTrain (Post 1458765)
Y'all want any restaurant recommendations or sightseeing suggestions or something or are you just getting some sleep?

They should go to Buzz and Ned's.

TDav540 17-03-2015 12:11

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1458782)
They should go to Buzz and Ned's.

I second this :D

Maldridge422 17-03-2015 12:14

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by TDav540 (Post 1458796)
I second this :D

+1

jreneew2 17-03-2015 13:09

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Sorry to pull the conversation away from restaurant recommendations, but does anyone know where I can find the webcast link for the regional?

kjohnson 17-03-2015 13:17

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by jreneew2 (Post 1458847)
Sorry to pull the conversation away from restaurant recommendations, but does anyone know where I can find the webcast link for the regional?

NASA Langley normally provides the webcast equipment and the link will be posted here: http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/2015_frcwebcasts.php

Maldridge422 17-03-2015 13:21

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by jreneew2 (Post 1458847)
Sorry to pull the conversation away from restaurant recommendations, but does anyone know where I can find the webcast link for the regional?

Now back to food.

I'm a big fan of Alamo BBQ in Union Hill and The Black Sheep a few blocks from the Seigel Center on W. Marshall St.

jreneew2 17-03-2015 13:52

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Thanks!

Nathan Streeter 17-03-2015 15:19

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Best of luck to everyone competing down in VA this weekend, particularly our friends and allies, 1086 and 2363!

ghesla 17-03-2015 22:02

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
As we are based in NJ/NY for our stay in the USA, tomorrow we are going to Richmond, with a stop in Washington! See you soon!

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 13:02

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Food update: they went to Five Guys and Buz and Ned's yesterday. They're now looking for Mexican restaurant suggestions.

TDav540 18-03-2015 13:06

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by PayneTrain (Post 1459441)
Food update: they went to Five Guys and Buz and Ned's yesterday. They're now looking for Mexican restaurant suggestions.

Casa Grande is pretty good in the West End.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 13:31

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
what's the name of the place in Short Pump that does the fresh Guacamole at the table?

JamesBrown 18-03-2015 13:52

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Maya is awesome, but not quite as dirt cheap as some of the other Mexican places.

JDGallagher 18-03-2015 14:30

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459456)
what's the name of the place in Short Pump that does the fresh Guacamole at the table?

Plaza Azteca?

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 15:49

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
That's it!

dougwilliams 18-03-2015 17:27

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Oddly, a snowstorm shut the Interstate down when we left NY this AM. But after 9 hours, our trailer has made it to Richmond. Unfortunately, the rest of our team and school bus are 2 hours behind, still. Should make an interesting unload with just two of us tonight. Hopefully we run across some people willing to lend a hand ;)

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 17:57

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dougwilliams (Post 1459556)
Oddly, a snowstorm shut the Interstate down when we left NY this AM. But after 9 hours, our trailer has made it to Richmond. Unfortunately, the rest of our team and school bus are 2 hours behind, still. Should make an interesting unload with just two of us tonight. Hopefully we run across some people willing to lend a hand ;)

Our school is a few blocks away from the venue and we are meeting right now so if you're there when we're there we'll have available bodies.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 21:26

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
pits are small this year: 8' wide by 10' deep.

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 21:52

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459635)
pits are small this year: 8' wide by 10' deep.

Makes sense, there are fewer teams than last year and the robots are bigger.

Hallry 18-03-2015 22:03

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459635)
pits are small this year: 8' wide by 10' deep.

Why? What is the space that used to be given to the pits used for?

kjohnson 18-03-2015 22:31

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459635)
pits are small this year: 8' wide by 10' deep.

Pits were resized to 9x10 after load-in completed tonight.

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 22:46

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nukemknight (Post 1459657)
Pits were resized to 10x10 after load-in completed tonight.

Cool. Good thing we didn't load in tonight.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 23:21

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nukemknight (Post 1459657)
Pits were resized to 10x10 after load-in completed tonight.

WHAT? we were going to ask 422 to borrow some real estate to fit out new truss system, but now we don't have to! ;-)

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 23:25

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459675)
WHAT? we were going to ask 422 to borrow some real estate to fit out new truss system, but now we don't have to! ;-)

Bro, we have to put our new couch somewhere.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 23:30

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by PayneTrain (Post 1459677)
Bro, we have to put our new couch somewhere.

we had it all figured out. you could put the couch under the truss. We were going to give up space in the middle to make it work. Maybe we can share the couch now?

Hallry 18-03-2015 23:34

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459679)
we had it all figured out. you could put the couch under the truss. We were going to give up space in the middle to make it work. Maybe we can share the couch now?

I have an idea...

Electronica1 18-03-2015 23:34

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459679)
we had it all figured out. you could put the couch under the truss. We were going to give up space in the middle to make it work. Maybe we can share the couch now?

I mean, the cheese head makes a pretty great pillow. (well most of the teams cheese heads do, the mods to my cheese head make it a pretty horrible pillow)

PayneTrain 18-03-2015 23:35

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459679)
we had it all figured out. you could put the couch under the truss. We were going to give up space in the middle to make it work. Maybe we can share the couch now?

In all seriousness, are we next to each other? We've never been next to each other.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 23:45

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
RIGHT next to each other. Like, elbow to elbow.

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 23:46

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hallry (Post 1459681)

epic.

Wetzel 18-03-2015 23:46

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nukemknight (Post 1459657)
Pits were resized to 10x10 after load-in completed tonight.

As you load in and set up your pits tomorrow, please work with each other to adjust, some teams loaded into a pit that has shifted a few feet over.

Correction: They were resized to 9x10, which is the size communicated to teams prior to the event.
Source: I pulled up all the tape.

dougwilliams 18-03-2015 23:48

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by PayneTrain (Post 1459568)
Our school is a few blocks away from the venue and we are meeting right now so if you're there when we're there we'll have available bodies.


Thanks for the offer - it was much smoother than anticipated. 2 person load in complete in an hour.

And beautiful weather ...

wilsonmw04 18-03-2015 23:50

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nukemknight (Post 1459657)
Pits were resized to 10x10 after load-in completed tonight.

Can you explain how that worked? were the aisles made longer? was the placement of pits changed?

Wetzel 18-03-2015 23:57

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459692)
Can you explain how that worked? were the isles made longer? was the placement of pits changed?

We simply expanded the width of the pits by a foot. The east-west avenue behind the drape is now 6 feet skinnier.

dougwilliams 19-03-2015 21:43

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Pretty pleased with our first full 6 tote, can with litter stack in about a minute...

http://i.imgur.com/eqzemFu.png?1

How did everyone else feel after practice? Seemed like some field issues that they hopefully have figured out.

And disappointed this will be our last year in VA now that you are moving to districts and don't want us NY teams here anymore ;) VA is our favorite venue by far! Can we join your district?

wilsonmw04 19-03-2015 21:45

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dougwilliams (Post 1459923)
And disappointed this will be our last year in VA now that you are moving to districts and don't want us NY teams here anymore ;) VA is our favorite venue by far! Can we join your district?

A LOT has to happen before that change is made. Honestly, I'm not sure the ground work has been set to make this happen in a year.

FYI: pic link is broken for me.

dougwilliams 19-03-2015 21:47

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1459924)
A LOT has to happen before that change is made. Honestly, I'm not sure the ground work has been set to make this happen in a year.

FYI: pic link is broken for me.


Not sure who - but someone came around and told us today as though it was done. Maybe a misinterpretation(?).

Pic link was broken for me as well - link appears good now :)

Electronica1 19-03-2015 21:47

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dougwilliams (Post 1459923)
And disappointed this will be our last year in VA now that you are moving to districts and don't want us NY teams here anymore ;) VA is our favorite venue by far! Can we join your district?

I think I have heard that over the last few years

(Wil, we are at 2208 now ;) )

PayneTrain 19-03-2015 23:05

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dougwilliams (Post 1459923)
Pretty pleased with our first full 6 tote, can with litter stack in about a minute...

http://i.imgur.com/eqzemFu.png?1

How did everyone else feel after practice? Seemed like some field issues that they hopefully have figured out.

And disappointed this will be our last year in VA now that you are moving to districts and don't want us NY teams here anymore ;) VA is our favorite venue by far! Can we join your district?

You also may have heard that I'm secretly a unicorn but I wouldn't put any stock in that rumor.

Gregor 19-03-2015 23:07

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by PayneTrain (Post 1459950)
You also may have heard that I'm secretly a unicorn but I wouldn't put any stock in that rumor.

Yes

Lil' Lavery 20-03-2015 10:04

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I would be surprised if VA is in a district system next season.

Brandon_L 20-03-2015 10:28

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery (Post 1460038)
I would be surprised if VA is in a district system next season.

Not within Wil's lifespan

Lil' Lavery 20-03-2015 12:46

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon_L (Post 1460048)
Not within Wil's lifespan

Are you sure you want to put a price on Wil's head like that? :rolleyes:

PayneTrain 20-03-2015 13:58

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
2214.

Johnbot 20-03-2015 15:48

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I've been watching the stream...

I miss VARI.

wilsonmw04 20-03-2015 22:59

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
looks like we are getting districts whether they/we are ready for them or not...

Electronica1 20-03-2015 23:01

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04 (Post 1460231)
looks like we are getting districts whether they/we are ready for them or not...

So, I this could mean two things...
1. What it always means in which it means nothing or
2. Wil is a dead man

JDGallagher 21-03-2015 19:41

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Congratulations to 4481. You guys and 540 were fantastic alliance partners, and you are one of the most deserving teams to win the Engineering inspiration award I've seen in my FRC career. Especially for a third year team, you all are amazing. Congratulations to the champions, 384, 2363, and 1610. Congratulations to 384 again for the Regional Chairman's Award. This was a great regional.

Lij2015 22-03-2015 08:43

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Thank you to 1086, 4481 and 540 for the run of a lifetime!

Also it feels good to know no matter what the result of the final match would have been all teams on the field would be given championships births!

ToddF 22-03-2015 09:05

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Our regional was an extreme roller coaster ride. From the time we coalesced on our game strategy, we said that if all our mechanisms worked right, we'd do great, but if anything broke, it would be a total disaster. We gambled on the high risk, high reward strategy, and for most of the qualification matches it looked like we had lost the gamble. A mistake in an early match left our "Doc Ock arm" somewhat crippled. After swapping in a spare arm and chasing feedback sensor problems all day, we ended Friday with a drive team unified by adversity, and a pit crew exhausted from rebuilding the competition arm while simultaneously keeping the robot running. The morning was better, and we finally restored the arm to full functionality right after the last qualification match. We were pretty dejected going into alliance selections. We were hoping we would be a second pick, but figured that was a stretch because we had not proven ourselves on the field, and were ranked 32nd. After the #1 seed picked the #2 seed, we were absolutely amazed when 384, the new captain of the #2 alliance, chose us for their first pick. That was a huge gamble on their part, and we are immensely grateful we were able to fit into their strategy and come through for them. After it was all over, we were still reeling, not quite able to believe what had just happened. Friday was one of those days when nothing seems to go right, and Saturday swung completely the other way. So, thanks to our alliance partners 384 and 1610 for one wild ride. And congratulations to 540, 4481, and 1086 as well. Talking it through at dinner, we realized that because of the way the awards had worked out, no matter who won in the finals all six of us would have ended up with spots in the World Championships. What an amazing end to the last (maybe) Virginia Regional.

Here is video of the finals matches. Sorry, but it's mostly of the Red side of the field. Our multimedia team has already started posting wider view video of the matches. You can find those on our youtube channel.

TDav540 22-03-2015 10:10

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I would love to say that I am honored to have played with two amazing teams, 4481 and 1086. Although we had first contacted each other far before the actual competition, our relationship with team 4481 truly solidified itself in Qualification Match 77, where we played exceptionally well together. As we came into alliance selections as the fourth seed, we could only hope that they would be available by the time we chose. They were amazing partners both on and off the field. It's sometimes hard to remember that they are just a third-year team, but the professionalism and skill they showed was that of many years more. They were an integral part of our alliance. A well-deserved finals appearance and EI award.

As the serpentine came back around, 1086 was our dream pick. Once it became clear they would be available, we were head over heels. They played fantastic during every round, as were extremely critical in developing our quality alliance. Our team's relationship with them makes our run to the finals even more special. I cannot wait to see what they can do in Chesapeake and in St. Louis!

Congrats to 384, 2363, and 1610! 384 built a great alliance, and we knew as soon as Sparky got going in competition on Friday they would be a contender. They built a quality alliance with strong partners, and we cannot wait to continue to collaborate with them in the future. To 2363 and 1610, we cannot wait to see you guys again down the road.

This was a Virginia Regional I will never forget. I wish every team who competed there with us good luck in everything they do.

Nate Laverdure 22-03-2015 10:25

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Hearty congratulations also to Rookie All-Star team 5546. I've expected great things from this group of talented students since meeting them in October at the Rumble in the Roads, and I'm delighted that the judges recognized their strengths, too. See you in St. Louis!

mwilbur 22-03-2015 11:14

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Triple Helix would like to thank our friends from Sparky 384 and 1610 Builders of Tomorrow for an amazing run through the playoffs and finals. As Todd indicated in a previous post, to say that our performance in the qualification matches was mediocre would be a stretch. Despite that, Sparky was able to see something in us that made them want to take a chance, and for that we are extremely grateful. Congratulations to Talon 540, 4481 Team Rembrandts, and 1086 Blue Cheese for a great showing throughout the competition, playoffs, and finals. It was extraordinarily gratifying to see Team Rembrandts win the EI, and for all of the teams in the finals to receive a berth at the Championship. Congratulations, too, to 5546 A.R.T for the RAS and Paul Elkovich from 346 for the WFFA, and to all of the other award winners.

With the move to the district model next year, we will miss our annual attendance at the Virginia Regional. I am hopeful that we will somehow find a way to continue to see all of our various friends from Virginia and other places around the world, as we have for the last 8 years at the Virginia Regional. It's been a marvelous run at the Siegel Center, despite the awful bag checks and restrictive food policies, and I, for one, will miss the trip to Richmond each March.

One final thanks to all of the team mentors, coaches, competition judges, volunteers, and VirginiaFIRST for a job well done!

PayneTrain 22-03-2015 13:51

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
And so another VARI comes to a close. We overshot on our robot design this year, but I'm really proud of our students and the way they handled adversity (they're a lot better at it than me). Thanks to 5412 for giving us an award for the most unique robot at the event, I think that held true. Maybe next year we can get a game where we can replicate field elements a little better in our shop :)

We're all really thrilled that 4481 came to VA and were the most enthusiastic organization I have ever seen in FRC. Chillest team ever. It's great to see 1086 and 540 got Dean's List Finalists, even if that means we couldn't get our Dean's List 3-peat. On the same note, I don't know anyone who wasn't excited to see ART get the RAS. What an incredible team that will certainly only continue to shoot upward over time.

Speaking of adversity, I want to give a shout out to how 540, 4481, and 1086 handled the adversity of their alliance facing 5 different disables in eliminations, including 3 in the finals. I would have been a wreck. Putting up a fight in 3 2v3 matches is something that deserves recognition, and it's great to see all 3 of these teams going to Worlds.

While I'm disappointed our seniors don't get to go back to Champs this year, we're excited to work on making a better team over the next year. Our juniors are very determined.

Great to see that the last ever Virginia Regional was by far the most Virginia Regional ever. It was great being next to Blue Cheese's pit all weekend; they are truly a role model team. Everyone on 422 is rooting for 1086 to win the RCA and the event in Chesapeake.

1629GaCo 22-03-2015 20:42

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Team 1629 GaCo, would like to congratulate 2363 Triple Helix on their Virginia Regional win, we cannot wait until Chesapeake!!!

Congrats to all teams who attended the event and had a wonderful competition!!!

chmconkling 22-03-2015 20:43

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Congrats to 2363, 1610, and 384 on a fantastic final and winning VARI. It was great to see everybody again and bring our Dutch friends to VARI with us. It saddens us that we cannot bring them along with us any longer. They will be remarkable at St. Louis like they always have been. I want to thank everybody on behalf of 122 for all the kind words thought this weekend and over the past several weeks for Ben Poole. He was there with us and spirit (black bar on our robot and the dutch guys naming there robot after Ben). We finished 15th overall (better than we have in the last couple years), with a remarkable machine that works both flawlessly and looks beautiful. If you haven't seen it yet, I will post a picture soon, or just come by the pit if you are in DC.

Maldridge422 22-03-2015 21:23

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
This was the first Virginia Regional I’ve viewed from the field and I’m really glad I got to meet all of the teams and see all of the fantastic robots at this event.

I’d like to give a S/O to…
- 122 for their stunning LEDs and all around gorgeous robot
- 346 for their beautiful electronics
- 384 for leading the winning alliance
- 388 for their constant enthusiasm, I don’t think they ever had fewer than two drive team members dancing while they stood in queuing
- 401 for their sick ramp
- 540 for their impeccable strategy throughout the competition
- 1033 for their strongest showing in five years
- 1086 for being a role model team in every aspect
- 1156 for outperforming every other team during qualifications
- 1262 for being a successful member of #TeamLeadScrew
- 1287 for their vast improvement since Palmetto
- 1541 for their ambitious autonomous
- 1599 for their more than robust robot
- 1610 for their third Virginia win in a row
- 1719 for their gorgeous anodized and intricately assembled frame
- 1731 for their creative design and being on the field more than any other team on Thursday IIRC
- 2053 for their in-queue chairs and for being a great addition to our region for the past few years (seriously guys, I wasn’t kidding when I said you should just get an address down here for next year. Virginia won't be the same without you.)
- 2363 for their incredibly prompt recovery from a gut-wrenching fall and for their formidable robot
- 3361 for being the first team on the field Thursday
- 3373 for their great swerve drive and programming
- 3489 for never complaining once when they had to abandon their lunch outside the arena during lunch to come play a match because we were running behind
- 3939 for their super friendly drive team and powerful double-stacking robot
- 4481 for being the most excited team I’ve ever seen for every second of the competition, and a very deserving Engineering Inspiration winner
- 5279 for their huge strides made since last season
- 5412 for traveling thousands of miles as a rookie team and for their rookie inspiration award
- 5425 for their impressive canburglar and for their strong performance in qualification rounds
- 5546 for reviving FRC at their high school after 9 years and for their well-deserved Rookie All Star Award

dougwilliams 22-03-2015 22:16

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Maldridge422 (Post 1460786)
- 2053 for their in-queue chairs and for being a great addition to our region for the past few years (seriously guys, I wasn’t kidding when I said you should just get an address down here for next year. Virginia won't be the same without you.)

Oh, you mean these??? Critical to keep the drivers in top condition for matches.

If a PO box will suffice we will be back. Unfortunately, we've been considering options for next year, maybe Cleveland, Pittsburgh, NYC/LI, or Toronto.

Congratulations to all the elimination alliances, there were a lot of up and down moments for everyone.

We've learned a lot in VA and become a better team because of our time here...Thank You from Team 2053, TigerTronics!!!

notmattlythgoe 23-03-2015 09:06

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Congratulations to 4481. You guys and 540 were fantastic alliance partners, and you are one of the most deserving teams to win the Engineering inspiration award I've seen in my FRC career. Especially for a third year team, you all are amazing.
This statement right here is 100% truth. From top to bottom this team is an absolute inspiration. Great team, great robot, and all around great people. I am looking forward to seeing this team again at the Championship.

Congrats to Sparky 384 on their deserved Chairman's win, it was truly a joy to compete with you guys yet again. It was nice to finally team up with you instead of competing against you like we have many times in the past.

Thank you to 1610 for filling out our alliance. the 12 points we were able to generate each match in auto and capping the extra stacks with step cans is what put this alliance over the top. Congrats on the three-peat!

To the finalists, Talon 540 built the definition of an alliance that performed like they had been built to compete together. With 4481 building stacks of 4 from the HP station and 1086 building stacks of 4 from the landfill and 540 capping the stacks with often more than 4 cans this was a top notch alliance that showed how the game was meant to be played. I am very glad that all 3 were able to get berths to the Championship as all 3 were deserving.

Everybody keep your eyes on 5546 A.R.T. This is a team that just gets it, and I expect them to rise very quickly. I know they already have plans in the works to improve their robot for the Championship and look forward to seeing them continue to grow through their first year.

I know this was a very tough engineering challenge for many teams, but walking around the pits it is obvious that the teams in Virginia are improving each year. Keep up the hard work.

Woody910 23-03-2015 19:43

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
We are always astounded by the amount of talent and amazing teams that we get to see at the Virginia Regional. It was such an honor to have four international teams, and we hope to see all of them again (If it doesn't switch to districts, that is!) Congratulations to 384, 2363, and 1610! It was an honor to work with Kilroy and DOTM in Quarterfinals. Great way to end one of our team's personal best seasons yet. Hope to see you all next year!

notmattlythgoe 23-03-2015 20:24

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461275)
We are always astounded by the amount of talent and amazing teams that we get to see at the Virginia Regional. It was such an honor to have four international teams, and we hope to see all of them again (If it doesn't switch to districts, that is!) Congratulations to 384, 2363, and 1610! It was an honor to work with Kilroy and DOTM in Quarterfinals. Great way to end one of our team's personal best seasons yet. Hope to see you all next year!

You guys made a such a cool robot and I can't wait to see it in action again at the Rumble in the Roads!

TDav540 23-03-2015 22:12

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461289)
You guys made a such a cool robot and I can't wait to see it in action again at the Rumble in the Roads!

It's too bad I'm a senior this year; Rumble is going to be a premier offseason event. There is too much robot talent for it NOT to be :)

notmattlythgoe 23-03-2015 22:27

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by TDav540 (Post 1461353)
It's too bad I'm a senior this year; Rumble is going to be a premier offseason event. There is too much robot talent for it NOT to be :)

Absolutely. I hope 540 can make it this year.

TDav540 23-03-2015 23:43

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461357)
Absolutely. I hope 540 can make it this year.

Probably will. Can't say for sure yet, school administration and scheduling a lot of other stuff has to happen first. But the Original RITR was so much fun that I can't imagine not going :). Seriously though. 5 of the 6 finalists and a ton of playoff teams from Virginia this year will probably be there. Now all we have to do is convince 4481 :)

CasperB 24-03-2015 11:49

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Hi guys,

Casper Here from 4481. I just wanted to say that it delights me to read your opinions about the Virginia Regional. In my opinion it was just great, i had so much fun. Afterwards reading your posts and seeing howmuch our team was appreciated really brightens my day (and the entire year :D ).

I also want to say how awesome it was to play with you guys. I think each and every team in the regional was great! Though i still want to point out how great is was to work with Blue Cheese 1086 and Talon 540. The finals were really exciting! sparky384, TripleHelix 2363 and B.O.T 1610 played great and you guys totally deserve the Banners! Nonetheless it excites me knowing that Blue Cheese and Talon are still going to St Louis as well, and you guys totally earned it as well.

I also want to thank A.R.T. 5546. you guys did great and definetly earned the rookie all star. Though handing over your Team Shirt to me as a token of appreciation really got to me. thanks again many times, it really means a lot to me getting such a gift.

I really look forward to next couple weeks, when we'll hopefully meet again @ st Louis.

TDav540 24-03-2015 14:24

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by CasperB (Post 1461584)
Hi guys,

Casper Here from 4481. I just wanted to say that it delights me to read your opinions about the Virginia Regional. In my opinion it was just great, i had so much fun. Afterwards reading your posts and seeing howmuch our team was appreciated really brightens my day (and the entire year :D ).

I also want to say how awesome it was to play with you guys. I think each and every team in the regional was great! Though i still want to point out how great is was to work with Blue Cheese 1086 and Talon 540. The finals were really exciting! sparky384, TripleHelix 2363 and B.O.T 1610 played great and you guys totally deserve the Banners! Nonetheless it excites me knowing that Blue Cheese and Talon are still going to St Louis as well, and you guys totally earned it as well.

I also want to thank A.R.T. 5546. you guys did great and definetly earned the rookie all star. Though handing over your Team Shirt to me as a token of appreciation really got to me. thanks again many times, it really means a lot to me getting such a gift.

I really look forward to next couple weeks, when we'll hopefully meet again @ st Louis.

If we aren't all in the same division, we should at least try to put our alliance back together for one practice match if the opportunity presents itself :).

Don't worry though; I'll be stopping by to get one of those sweet hats :D

Woody910 24-03-2015 15:02

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by CasperB (Post 1461584)
Hi guys,

Casper Here from 4481. I just wanted to say that it delights me to read your opinions about the Virginia Regional. In my opinion it was just great, i had so much fun. Afterwards reading your posts and seeing howmuch our team was appreciated really brightens my day (and the entire year :D ).

I also want to say how awesome it was to play with you guys. I think each and every team in the regional was great! Though i still want to point out how great is was to work with Blue Cheese 1086 and Talon 540. The finals were really exciting! sparky384, TripleHelix 2363 and B.O.T 1610 played great and you guys totally deserve the Banners! Nonetheless it excites me knowing that Blue Cheese and Talon are still going to St Louis as well, and you guys totally earned it as well.

I also want to thank A.R.T. 5546. you guys did great and definetly earned the rookie all star. Though handing over your Team Shirt to me as a token of appreciation really got to me. thanks again many times, it really means a lot to me getting such a gift.

I really look forward to next couple weeks, when we'll hopefully meet again @ st Louis.

I really hope to see you guys next year, if possible! You guys made a beautiful robot, and a few of us from 2028 had a wonderful time spending nearly 45 minutes talking to one of your mentors about your arm system, learning about carbon fiber and some of your design ideas. Good luck at Championships! And congratulations on the Engineering Inspiration Award, you guys definitely deserved it. You guys are an amazing group of talented and dedicated engineers.

Woody910 24-03-2015 15:05

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461289)
You guys made a such a cool robot and I can't wait to see it in action again at the Rumble in the Roads!

So Rumble in the Roads is definitely happening this year? Some of us were talking about it earlier today, and were curious as it has not been officially announced.

notmattlythgoe 24-03-2015 15:11

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461672)
So Rumble in the Roads is definitely happening this year? Some of us were talking about it earlier today, and were curious as it has not been officially announced.

Oh it's happening, we didn't announce it until May last year. But, I would be looking out for an announcement very soon. Hint hint.

Woody910 24-03-2015 15:14

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461676)
Oh it's happening, we didn't announce it until May last year. But, I would be looking out for an announcement very soon. Hint hint.

Awesome, good to hear. We plan on making some improvements to our bot before we show up, and hope to improve ourselves even better over Virginia.

JamesBrown 24-03-2015 16:32

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I was just reading a thread about determining the cause of robots dropping communications during a match.

Does any one know the root cause of 540's communication issues in the Finals?

notmattlythgoe 24-03-2015 16:44

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesBrown (Post 1461722)
I was just reading a thread about determining the cause of robots dropping communications during a match.

Does any one know the root cause of 540's communication issues in the Finals?

I believe what I heard from one of the 540 students was their battery voltage was draining very quickly at times and was dropping below the needed level.

Wetzel 24-03-2015 17:00

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461730)
I believe what I heard from one of the 540 students was their battery voltage was draining very quickly at times and was dropping below the needed level.

I don't have a root cause, but I watched the radio reboot on two different occasions, and other times watched an apparent roborio reboot, where we could see the radio via the driver station, and then No Robot Code, then Teleop Enabled.


Wetzel

TDav540 24-03-2015 17:58

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I am the button man for 540, but I am not a programmer. However, I have spoken to my driver (who is also the programming lead for 540) and battery voltage is definitely one of the issues. I do not know if this would have caused the bridge to reboot, but based on the length of the times we disconnected during F1 (Two stints of ~30 seconds), it would not surprise me.

The FTA said that during SF2, our roboRio rebooted; however, we were unable to determine the problem. It seemed to fix itself after we cleared some wires away from the reset button. However, I can confirm that that was NOT due to battery voltage after checking the logs.

Although we are pretty sure it was the battery voltage, we are unsure of what was drawing power. We will be doing testing as soon as we get our practice bot back to working order. If anyone has any suspicions or suggestions, we definitely want to explore all options and any ideas would be appreciated.

notmattlythgoe 24-03-2015 18:08

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by TDav540 (Post 1461760)
I am the button man for 540, but I am not a programmer. However, I have spoken to my driver (who is also the programming lead for 540) and battery voltage is definitely one of the issues. I do not know if this would have caused the bridge to reboot, but based on the length of the times we disconnected during F1 (Two stints of ~30 seconds), it would not surprise me.

The FTA said that during SF2, our roboRio rebooted; however, we were unable to determine the problem. It seemed to fix itself after we cleared some wires away from the reset button. However, I can confirm that that was NOT due to battery voltage after checking the logs.

Although we are pretty sure it was the battery voltage, we are unsure of what was drawing power. We will be doing testing as soon as we get our practice bot back to working order. If anyone has any suspicions or suggestions, we definitely want to explore all options and any ideas would be appreciated.

If the battery was draining quickly and dropping the voltage low I would suspect a short somewhere.

Woody910 24-03-2015 20:20

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesBrown (Post 1461722)
I was just reading a thread about determining the cause of robots dropping communications during a match.

Does any one know the root cause of 540's communication issues in the Finals?

We got kinda screwed in quarterfinals by "connection" issues too. I don't know if you saw 2028, 1522, and 339's first QF match, but our bot (2028) would not register any controls. The field has records of us being connected 100% of the match, our driver station was getting inputs from our controls, but the robot wouldn't react at all. We got back to pit after the match, and it worked like a charm. After 20 minutes, FTA still could not find out what happened. So, it defaulted to being our fault. Naturally. The only match we had "communication issues" out of the 20 we've played this year. We still have no clue what happened to our bot that match. I know this doesn't relate to 540, but figured I would drop in on the comm conversation. (Also, forgive the not so technical explanation. I don't understand all the programming stuff.)

dougwilliams 24-03-2015 20:31

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461805)
... in quarterfinals by "connection" issues too..

After the finals were over, one of the field guys found us in the stands and asked if we had any connection issues during eliminations. It seemed like a very odd question at the time (especially after it was all over), but I'm guessing they were trying to figure out what happened.

Our team had no discernible outages or comms losses at all during VA. In practice matches our controller / DS gave out due to faulty USB connectors. Pre-competition, our practice bot would sometimes turn on and off while sitting idle, but we never saw this on our competition bot. We assume that was the PDP fuse issue, but haven't proven that. Positive it was not brown out, as we frequently ran our practice bot and battery to brown out level and that has fairly distinct symptoms.

Woody910 24-03-2015 20:37

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by dougwilliams (Post 1461811)
After the finals were over, one of the field guys found us in the stands and asked if we had any connection issues during eliminations. It seemed like a very odd question at the time (especially after it was all over), but I'm guessing they were trying to figure out what happened.

Our team had no discernible outages or comms losses at all during VA. In practice matches our controller / DS gave out due to faulty USB connectors. Pre-competition, our practice bot would sometimes turn on and off while sitting idle, but we never saw this on our competition bot. We assume that was the PDP fuse issue, but haven't proven that. Positive it was not brown out, as we frequently ran our practice bot and battery to brown out level and that has fairly distinct symptoms.

Like I said, between Myrtle Beach Regional 3 weeks before and and the Virginia Regional matches before, we had not had a single issue. We were just at a loss as to what happened. Our programmer re-deployed code in queue, so maybe that caused an issue? But our programming mentor can't see why that would have been a problem.

notmattlythgoe 24-03-2015 20:47

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461805)
We got kinda screwed in quarterfinals by "connection" issues too. I don't know if you saw 2028, 1522, and 339's first QF match, but our bot (2028) would not register any controls. The field has records of us being connected 100% of the match, our driver station was getting inputs from our controls, but the robot wouldn't react at all. We got back to pit after the match, and it worked like a charm. After 20 minutes, FTA still could not find out what happened. So, it defaulted to being our fault. Naturally. The only match we had "communication issues" out of the 20 we've played this year. We still have no clue what happened to our bot that match. I know this doesn't relate to 540, but figured I would drop in on the comm conversation. (Also, forgive the not so technical explanation. I don't understand all the programming stuff.)

We had a quality match like this, the rio never lost connection to the FMS but our robot code just stopped. No logs on the DS about code crashing, it just stopped.

Woody910 24-03-2015 20:48

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461825)
We had a quality match like this, the rio never lost connection to the FMS but our robot code just stopped. No logs on the DS about code crashing, it just stopped.

Well glad to hear we aren't the only ones who had that issue... Know by chance what Alliance you were on and what player station number?

notmattlythgoe 24-03-2015 20:51

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461827)
Well glad to hear we aren't the only ones who had that issue... Know by chance what Alliance you were on and what player station number?

Red, I can find out the alliance station tomorrow.

Woody910 24-03-2015 20:55

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1461829)
Red, I can find out the alliance station tomorrow.

Ah, okay. Was wondering if most issues were with Blue side, as I saw during Elims. Must just be bad luck, or an odd issue FRC still hasn't worked out.

Lij2015 25-03-2015 08:45

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461830)
Ah, okay. Was wondering if most issues were with Blue side, as I saw during Elims. Must just be bad luck, or an odd issue FRC still hasn't worked out.

When we dropped code we were on the far left player station so #1?

notmattlythgoe 25-03-2015 15:22

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody910 (Post 1461827)
Well glad to hear we aren't the only ones who had that issue... Know by chance what Alliance you were on and what player station number?

We also had one match where we were disabled early and ended up spearing a capped stack of totes with our can arm in the last 5 seconds of the match because our robot continued driving forward out of control.

Maldridge422 25-03-2015 20:12

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
I think the biggest connection issue at the event was by 5545: piedmontSTEM from Concord, VA. Rookie no-show. Does anybody know anything about their situation?

Here's their team info page: http://www.usfirst.org/whats-going-o...rogramCode=FRC

Crebb 25-03-2015 21:44

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Maldridge422 (Post 1462243)
I think the biggest connection issue at the event was by 5545: piedmontSTEM from Concord, VA. Rookie no-show. Does anybody know anything about their situation?

Here's their team info page: http://www.usfirst.org/whats-going-o...rogramCode=FRC

5545 had originally planned on being a rookie this season but decided to wait until next year in order to drum up more support and become more prepared.

ToddF 27-03-2015 22:17

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
A Triple Helix highlights (and low lights) reel from the Virginia Regional.

PayneTrain 27-03-2015 22:29

Re: 2015 Virginia Regional
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by ToddF (Post 1462870)
A Triple Helix highlights (and low lights) reel from the Virginia Regional.

Did y'all get closing ceremonies? I know ART was looking for them. We didn't video closing this year.


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