Please help make the Nationals in Houston AWESOME ... You be the Tournament Director
 

Houston is VERY excited about hosting the FIRST Nationals and we are grateful that FIRST has provided us the opportunity to have students with the brightest young minds in America as our guests. I'm positive that between the folks at FIRST and the people of Houston, the National Championships will be an exciting and memorable event. Please help make Nationals an incredible event by expressing your ideas here. You can find detailed information (square footage, floor plans, etc.) about the Reliant Complex at the Houston Convention Guide . Although I am not an official of FIRST, I will make every effort to get your ideas to the FIRST folks.

Here are a few ideas that I've heard that might make Nationals really cool.

-Invite all the teams. There are a million arguments why this should be done but the following one is good enough. By attending Nationals, one student may be inspired to help mankind.

-Have all the competition fields on the Astrodome floor. Put the fields against the "fences" and use the box seats for seating. Using a baseball field as a reference, put a FIRST field behind the plate, one on FIRST base, one down the right field line, one in right field, one in center field, one in left field, one down the left field line, one on third base. Wow, eight fields. If something like this was to happen, you better bring your binoculars, you could be watching 8 matches at once! I'll be the one yelling. GET YOUR BINOCULARS...BINOCULARS HERE...BINOCULARS ONLY 10 DOLLARS...GET YOUR BINOCULARS HERE :D The sound systems for each field would have to be localized but FIRST has proven that they can do this effectively with the Archimedes, Currie, & Newton fields.

-Run the matches a little longer into the day and keep the pits open a little later into the night. This will give you a few more opportunities to run your 'bot along with some more time to troubleshoot any problems. What's better entertainment than the competition.

Please, if you disagree with an idea, provide constructive criticism. Maybe try some words like, "Yea, that would be cool to have all of the fields on the Astrodome floor BUT the sound system is going to be more difficult to localize than it was on Archimedes, Currie, & Newton because the sound will bounce off of the plastic seats and concrete."

Looking forward to hearing from all of you Cyber-Tournament-Directors. You can make Nationals SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME.

Take care,
Lucien

hey Lucien!

First, how'd FLL go this weekend? sorry I couldn't do music, but I had a project and a prior engaement.

Second, while more teams coming and fields on the Astrodome floor would be cool, I would think these things are already set in stone, and are part of the reason FIRST took so long to inform us. However, I'm sure there's tons of other great ideas to improve Nationals. For instance, Houston teams could plan sight seeing trips for other teams and act as tour guides on Thursday, or Sunday, or whenever there's free time. Great ideas don't have to just be just for FIRST, after all.

I'm never going to believe a press release scenario until I see it with my eyes. I personal don't' like Houston and would rather go anywhere else. That's my opinion.

The purpose of this thread is to provide us, the students, with an opportunity to make this year's Championship Event better. Natchez said, "Please, if you disagree with an idea, provide constructive criticism. Maybe try some words like, 'Yea, that would be cool to have all of the fields on the Astrodome floor BUT the sound system is going to be more difficult to localize than it was on Archimedes, Currie, & Newton because the sound will bounce off of the plastic seats and concrete.'".. are you complying with that request? I don't think you are. Also, I have a serious question: What do you hope to accomplish by being such a brick--yes, brick? Are you trying to emulate M.Krass? If so, you have a waaaays to go. At this moment my math teacher is getting suspicous again, so I'll edit this post to include my suggestions when I get home.

Ok then.

Here's what I'll do to guarantee a sucess.

-All money saved spend on a concert with music, lazers, bubles and such.
-Have a round the clock transportation to and from the location.
-Get Nintendo or Sony to sponsor and get lots of demos and previews so people can DDR and play Smash.
-SEGWAY DEMOS!!!
-Get Astroworld to get a new coaster that's GOOD.
-Get a good resturaunt to sponsor and set up so we have more choices than stadium food (Fridays O'Charles, etc)

There, I'm positive. :)

:)
 

Im happy, althouhg i dont handle heat well, whatever its first



Bad

We had the opportunity to participate in the 2002 Lone Star Regional and were very happy with the quality of the competition and the venue. The pit area was spacious and the individual pit spaces were large (compared to other FIRST regional events). The teams from Texas and the folks we met outside of the event were friendly and gracious hosts. The Reliant Complex is certainly large enough to accommodate the FIRST Championship event.

Based on our experiences I would be concerned about transportation between the Reliant Complex and the hotels. Some of the hotels appear to be close to the Reliant Complex, however, the property is large and the walk is longer than it would appear, especially after a long day of competition.

Food at the Reliant Arena was a bit expensive (sporting event prices). I'm not sure FIRST can change this anymore than they could Disney's prices.

The social events hosted by FIRST will be very important to the success of the 2003 Championship since there appears to be a limited choice of after event activities. This would be a good place for the Texas teams to make some suggestions.

We are looking forward to the 2003 Championship in Houston and to seeing all of our friends from the Lone Star Regional!

Re: Please help make the Nationals in Houston AWESOME ... You be the Tournament Director
 

1. I highly doubt they will do this, since all the odd-numbered teams got hosed last year. I would think they'd keep this system in place for one more year and evaluate their space at Houston before opening the championship to more teams. If they find that they can handle 300 teams that already attend, possibly they will accept more.


2. Technically, all teams are "invited" to nationals. You just have to do well and win a regional competition or a technical award.

If I could ask for one thing it wou be to make sure that you have a machine shop on site that can handle the load.

Also, to answer the questions, no, I'm not emulating Krass nor do I want to (no offense), because I have lots of things different between him and me. Also, I was a 'brick' because I was stubborn when it came to them moving. I don't like change. It's how I am. I can't change that. I am sorry.

then why do you like the Segway so much? :confused:

I definitely think Segway rides would be awesome!!! *begs*
122 is already registered for Houston, so we will see you there! I can't wait! (85 Spots Left!)

positive
 

Change is good, we get a new game every year so why not a different venue. Along those lines I can't wait to see the Texas hospitality offered to those that attend.. I personlally think everyone will be pleasantly surprised. We've been to Houston three years and have enjoyed it every time
#1 I like the idea of everyone again having the opportunity of attending nationals. Maybe a ranking system similar to the NCAA
to set pairings and such. The good machines will win and lets face it nats is about the people, not so much about the machines.
Open her up if there is room -- What an event.
#2 Longer day more mathces, more fun, more volunteers. I really like this. We don't get that many ops to run our bot so that is a good thing. Just need more vols which I do not think will be a problem in Houston.
#3 I like the everyone in the same area scenario. More confusion to deal with more excitement.

#4 Instead of Fluff food a good ol fashioned Texas Bar b Que in the parking lot. Dead cow is good eating.

Hopefully our team will qualify to go cuz I can't wait.


Ken

Is this a good thing? I'm a little confused.

Oh - Joel, please don't use the word brick in the same sentence as my name - ever. In my world, it has a really awful connotation. . . of course, that's assuming that you weren't meaning to insult me.

Anywho . . .


I looked over the floor plans of Reliant Park a few days ago and I'm a bit shocked by its size. I did notice, also, that those floor plans don't include the new stadium that was built adjacent to the Astrodome.

There are two ways I'd do this, were I given the opportunity. Of course, I think that facilitating easy movement of robots from the pits to the fields is the most important thing to worry about, followed by arranging the pits in a single large area that allows for easier scouting.

With that in mind, I'd place the pits along the floor of the Astrodome. There ought to be more than enough square footage to hold 300 teams there. I'd place the einstein field in the new stadium adjacent to the Astrodome. I'd place the rest of the fields in Reliant Hall which is also adjacent to the Astrodome.

This arrangment has the fields flanking the pits on two sides and each are reasonably close to the pit.

The second arrangement, and what I think is more likely, is that the pits will be set up in Reliant Hall. I think that may be because the ceiling height is low (16') and because the column spacing wouldn't allow for fields and stands to be erected inside that building. From there, the main field would again be in the new stadium (or in the Astrodome itself) and the rest of the fields would take up residence in Reliant Arena. Again, this is connected to Reliant Hall.

My concern for such a huge venue lies in the overall effect we'll have. 20,000 people or not, much of these stadiums will lie empty. I know FIRST kids can generate energy, but can they generate enough to compensate for ~80,000 empty seats? That depresses me.

Arranging sound inside the stadiums may be difficult as you mentioned - particularly if there's more than one match or field goin on at a time.

Part of the allure in watching matches for me is, really, seeing the robots work. I can't really make observations about how specific mechanisms might work from stadium seating. I worry about being removed from the action. I like being right up close. In fairness, I never watched matches on Einstein because of this.

The Disney Village has also had a very finished, polished feel to me. I hope the Houston venue is the same, but I worry that it will seem - again - empty and incomplete. It's almost too large.

FIRST can't support many more fields than we currently have. They don't have the staff to man them. Volunteers would be a necessity, and they'd absolutely need more than a few hours worth of training. Perhaps they could consider flying in the staff from the regional events? We'll have experience in running the show already.

The competition will be fine. The matches will be exciting. The robots will be top notch. The people will be great. I hope 'the show' doesn't suffer at the expense of size. I'm hopeful, at least, that Dean mentioned Disney will be there. Maybe that means they'll have a hand in putting on 'the show'? That is, after all, what they do better than anyone else on Earth. :)

One thing that worked well last year, is they recruited team members to play some of the non-essential staff roles such as field resetters. I know a few people on our team volunteered for these jobs for a few hours and, in turn, recieved some FIRST volunteer T-shirts. They were also allowed to leave whenever our team had a match so they could watch, and return to work when it was done.

But it wasn't in the same sentence :).. and no, I was not trying to insult you--the fact that you might take my comment as insulting didn't even cross my mind. Maybe I shouldn't compliment, or refer to people when posting on this forum. I dunno, I'll think about it.

brick n.

pl. bricks or brick A molded rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln until hard and used as a building and paving material.

An object shaped like such a block: a brick of cheese.

Informal. A helpful, reliable person.

Hmmm, well what meaning were you trying to get across?

Where I am from, brick isn't used in such a positive way. The word, when used in a context such as my post, has a negative connotation, as M said, with a hint of sarcasm. I'll rephrase just for you: What do you hope to accomplish by being such a pain? Anywho, can the analyzing of my post end?.. After all, I am no poet, just a "kid" stating the obvious.

It shouldn't have crossed your mind, honestly :) It just as to do with how some people use the word 'brick' . . . it's not friendly. I shouldn't have expected you to know it, really :) I'd be surprised if you did.

Oh, I figured it wasn't a nice way, I actually looked it up to see if it would have your definition and thought it was kinda interesting.

Usually when I use the word brick, it's like "Dumb as a..."

I have a request for nationals, adjust THIS CAMERA so we can see the building of the fields!!

Other than that, I would like to see a lot of coverage of the competition over many news networks. Not just public radio and local news but Nationally syndicated news programs.

RENT OUT SEGWAYS! I think they would be a nice way to get around the area.... let us use them in 6 Flags.

WOW! cool place...
 

[quote]Originally posted by Elgin Clock
[b]I have a request for nationals, adjust THIS CAMERA so we can see the building of the fields!!
-------------------------------
WOW!
This place looks real cool, you don't
need a hotel, just bring a sleeping bag and just
hang out somewhere.
The place can definitely hold all up to 1999+ teams
at a single event. (and look how much parking)

WDW? what's that?


:D

Re: WOW! cool place...
 

[quote]Originally posted by Rich Wong

Quote:

Originally posted by Elgin Clock The place can definitely hold all up to 1999+ teams

No offense, but dream on. No where on earth would be able to hold 2,000+ teams and still manage to be a city, unless FIRST and goes and builds its own city. Frankly, if 250 had 10,000 kids show up, do the math, and and it'll work out to around 80,000 people. Dream on. :)

Re: Re: WOW! cool place...
 

How many people do you think go to really big football games?

Re: Re: Re: WOW! cool place...
 

I don't know, but they don't all cram into the fields at once to watch it. Also, a football game dosn't last for 3 days.

Re: Re: Re: WOW! cool place...
 

I'm not saying I'm agreeing with the 'dream on' statement, but I think its a
little different when you've got 80,000 watching vs a decent chunk of 80,000 participating.

Re: Re: Re: Re: WOW! cool place...
 

Well, nyah :p

(No, I don't believe this to be in any way constructive, but, nyah :p)

Constructive Criticism! (FIRST's new motto)

Anyway...

I think Houston won't be GOD AWFUL nor will it be the best venue for everyone. I can see where it has benifits over WDW (like the fact West coast teams won't have to pay an arm and a leg to get flight tickets) and other things. BUT I think FIRST has a long way to go to make it sucessful like at Epcot.

Slowly I think Houston is slowly starting to prove to me personally that t will not only ba capable to accomadate our 200+ teams this year but many more in the future. I am starting to look forward to going to Houston. It seems like the change might have actually been a good thing after all. THe only thing I am worried about is how do you keep the attention of 10,000+ high schoolers after pits close and the final matches of the day are over. Since ther is only Six Flags near there. Of course there may just be people hacking or playing ERS or something like that. And I am sure that us FIRSTers will be able to come up with some way to keep ourselves occupied. So I am looking forward to April 10-12. Only 120+ days left.:cool:

so angry...
 

****************
SO YOUNG,
SO ANGRY!
DAMNED THAT RAP MUSIC!
:D

something to make nats awsome
 

Couple of hundred hot tubs in the parking lot.

Re: something to make nats awsome
 

:cool:

That's a good idea. :D

Re: something to make nats awsome
 

With Private Tents for each :D *shifty eyes*

chum (like for sharks)
 

What makes you think those seats will be empty? I don't recall ever seeing an empty seat in the finals at nationals in the past, why should it be any different now?

Re: chum (like for sharks)
 

Because the Reliant park has 4x the amount of seating than of Epcot's Nats. :)

Forgive the twisted syntax, I know not whence it came.
 

But does Houston not have well over four times the number of people than a certain Florida swamp does? I'm betting that this tournament will have a much higher attendance than anything we ever saw at Disney. Whether we fill it remains to be seen, but I'm looking forward to being pleasantly surprised, that is, if it is possible for one to look forward to such a thing.

Re: Forgive the twisted syntax, I know not whence it came.
 

That's what I'm really interested in seeing.

In Walt Disney World, everyone was on vacation. If they eyed this event village off to Epcot's side, they might investigate it. They weren't late for a meeting, or late to dinner, or trying to make it to a doctor's appointment. They were out looking for things to entertain them. I think that this is a conducive environment to drawing people in to see what FIRST is all about. It doesn't require a commitment, it doesn't interfere with other commitments and it's fun and interesting to watch.

In Houston, while the overall population may exceed the number of people on Walt Disney World property at any given time (by lots and lots, even), all of those millions have lives to attend to. They may drive by Reliant Park and see the huge banners, or the inflatable robot towering over I-610. . . but, is that going to be enough to get them to stop in and see what's going on? Is there enough incentive for them to go home, round up their family, and come back?

Whereas in Walt Disney World, people are seeking leisure, and FIRST is an easy sell, I think an event in Houston or anyplace else that doesn't cater toward entertainment exclusively requires a considerably larger effort in getting the uninvolved to attend.

Maybe it will draw in more people. Who knows. That is my concern, though. In either case, I don't think it's going to draw in enough people to fill that stadium, and it may end up being a lonely, desolate place.

About Houston...I see another enormous advantage .. something we here at Philly know how to do- Tailgating!

Also- the fields are inside, correct? How are we going to fit 280 some teams? I know that Veterans stadium here couldn't hold 280+ teams and five fields, not to mention all of the cables and stuff..

Re: Please help make the Nationals in Houston AWESOME ... You be the Tournament Director
 

Okay a few things about the original post.

1. While it would be nice to invite everyone like we have in past years it would be almost to chaotic for everyone. Just imagine the scouting! I know people will say you only have to scout the teams in your division but if you plan on going further you should scout the top seeded teams in other events also.

2. Running the matches longer and keeping the pits open longer would be a nice thing. The only problem with this is the fact that after a "normal" day at Nats I, and most of my team, are so tired of thinking we just want to veg. Also its not healthy to be working much longer. As it is most teams at Nats don't go to bed 'til midnight, whether from socializing or from strategizing.

Personally I have no idea what we should do about Nats in houston but I trust FIRST and I'm sure everything, well almost everything, they have thought out.

~SHANA~

Re: Forgive the twisted syntax, I know not whence it came.
 

If the event is not a football game or similar event, I would not expect a lot of Houstonians to come out to watch, even if the event is publicized on local TV. Even if 10,000 local non-participants are there at any one time to watch, the 80,000 seat or whatever it is stadium will be less than half full. But so what? There will be plenty of people making more than enough noise to generate the requisite level of excitement.

I personally like Walt Disney World, probably more so than most long-term FIRST'ers, at least of the adult variety, but I think the change will be good. I would expect the viewing of matches to be much better than at the Einstein field at Epcot, as it is at the regionals held in basketball arenas. Also, if they can get all the playing fields in the AstroDome, we would be spared the all-day sun that is part of watching and scouting matches at Einstein. It will be hard to come up with as good of transportation as you have at WDW staying at an on-site hotel, but I suspect that FIRST has figured out something that will get the job done adequately. While FIRST may not be perfect, they have had a pretty good record over the years of "doing their homework."

The Championship may be at Houston for one year and then return to WDW, or it may be at neither place in '04. Who knows? The bottom line is that we all need to go into the '03 event with the attitude that a "change of scenery" can be good. Houston is where we are going, and we need to approach it with a positive attitude and do our part to make it a great event.

I would like to see some local teams helping other teams to be more familiar with the city. Simple handouts of where some of the great local restaurants are would be nice... location and store hours of local hardware stores would definitely be appeciated.


How about telling teams where they can join a tour to Houston's NASA? Are there tours over there like NASA Kennedy Space Center at Florida?

You guys are going to the space base, i dunno what to call it, Flight command post, that sounds good. I bet alot of teams will do that, but i don't know how interesting that will actually be.

... and local dance clubs for 18 year olds..... transportation guides..... directions to the nearest Hard Rock Cafe!!!