a Boston Invitational... I WANT YOUR INPUT!!!
 

I was zoning out during physics the other day and I had an idea... since then I've spoken with a few of the "higher ups" and my idea seems very do-able, this is it:

A ROBOTICS INVITATIONAL IN BOSTON THAT WILL BE AS EXCITING AS ANY REGIONAL! (this will be no shin-dig in a gym, I promise you)

But I want your input...

- would your team be interested? (any team could easily make a weekend out of it, I'm a girl from a mid-suburban town who found out how much living in Boston ROCKS!)
- what time of the year would YOU perfer? (I'm thinking late september-early october, this way it wouldn't conflict with other invitationals and it would be a good introduction to FIRST to new team members)
- any ideas or advice? I'm only 18 yrs old so I will be soliciting a lot of help
- if you have any really cool suggestions, let me know... I want this to be YOUR event!

The event would be held at Northeastern University, a few blocks away from the Prudential Center so it's right in the city. Keep in mind, I've only conceived this idea 3 days ago so absolutely nothing has been done yet... nothing is official.

Right now I'm just spreading the idea around.

PLEASE POST!!!

The Clarkson University team would be interested...

If you held it in Sept-Oct it would give us a chance to bring our new "freshman-crew" down. Taking new members, especially in our case, members who were on other teams, to competition is a great way to "break them in".

We'd certainly come down!

It might give us a chance to test out some of the prototypes we worked on this summer as well.

It sounds like a great Idea! The more FIRST is spread to the public the better! I would love to go to it, but it is probably a little too far for MOE to go.

We used to go to Rumble at the Rock, but after the 99 competition they quit having that (The summer before I joined my team, no fun). Heh, IRI and then travel a Boston Invitational? That would be pretty cool...unless it was in September, and then many of the students wouldnt be able to go since 10 seniors on our team are going to college next year.

Heh, if I could get our team to sign up, I would do it.

Hey,

I think a post season comp. in boston is a great idea! It would be a great way for teams all over New England to come together in one central location. As an alumni of Buzz...I know Erin and her team can pull it off! Of course many details need to be worked out...but I'd say that anything can happen with a post season comp and only YOU can make the suggestions in seeing what you want to see in Boston. Have a great rest of the season with FRC 03! Good luck!

Steve

Hmmmm...
 

Erin,

I had expressed interest late last year in trying to pull together an invitational competition based on the spirit of Rumble at the Rock, called FIRST All Stars. I recieved some positive feedback about this competition from various teams, but could not move forward with it due to some personal matters. If you are interested, I would love to discuss this idea with you, because I have always felt that holding the competition somewhere in Boston would be a great idea. You can e-mail me at skrach42@aol.com, or instant message me at the screen name QuietRiverRage1. I have alot of experience with working at offseason competitions as an announcer and MC so at the very least I may be able to shed light on what it takes to run one of these things.

Good Luck!
-Andy Grady

sounds awesome
 

Hopefully i will be going to NEU and can help out with it...we (382) went to the IRI and we took new members of the team...it was a good help for those members..but i do have a sugestion...I know here in ohio most kids go back to school the last week in august and i know it would be hard on students to leave on a competiton only 3 or 4 weeks into the school year...i may be wrong though too..this is just a suggestion..

if we have the money, i would love to go... i havent been to boston...yet!:yikes:

Ok... I had a few ideas fly in the air today

Lets make this comptition comprise of the best of the best... meaning that out of all the teams interested in going, only the best and most successful teams this year will be invited to attend. Kinda like the last Rumble.

This way... we can truely determine the best team in the country is, it'll be very competitive

I need to start organizing this as soon as possible, so please spread the word and give me any input or information you might have

ByE

erin

It's a trek for us, but if we did well enough to get invited, we could probably swing something. It'd be a fun trip.

ummm I know River Rage is in early september....

yea, i don't want to conflict or be too close to other compeitions going on... but it has to be before early october and i don't want to have it over the summer unless a lot of you think that'll be a good idea

I would definatley be up for an early August type thing if ppl show interest

let me know!

ByE

erin

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMm BOSTON CREAM DONUT INVITATIONAL!!
*DROOLS*
Ohhh, I mean, yea an Invitational, in BOSTON. HELLS YEA! that's like only one state away, that means, LESS DRIVING TIME!!!! WOOHOO!!! I really enjoyed myself at Battlecry 3 and Maryland, so I am sure this would kick. Also just to get the word out. For a senior project type kinda deal. A kid from my team might want to host an invitational here in little Old Rhody. Sound ok? But unfortunately that would be in a gym. . .

A outdoor competition would be cool.... like at FENWAY!

We could paaark the caaaar with nomaaaar!

IT WOULD BE WIKKED.
OR if in Connecticut, PAAAAAAAAAAK THAAAAAAAA CAAAAAAAA IN HAAAAAAAAAVAAAAAAAAAAD YAAAAAAAAD

Re: a Boston Invitational... I WANT YOUR INPUT!!!
 

A Northeastern Off-Season will be really cool. Boston is an excellent place to host it.

Since my sister attends Northeastern University I know the area pretty well, and it will be well suited for teams. The only thing I cam immediately think of that may be a problem is parking.

But be in mind hosting an off-season is not easy or cheep.

You must rent the field, Innovation First Controllers, and buy the carpet. That is about $5,000 or something like that.

You could however not use Innovation FIRST and build your own dongle timing system, like they did in the MD State Fair.

Talk to teams like 190, 140, 236, 95, 40, 131 they all hosted off-seasons, and they can tell you what you need to make a success.

Team 121 would be very interested in going, and hope that there is a Northeastern University Off-Season this year.

Since Rally in the Valley, Mayham on the Merrimack, Battlecry IV, and now River Rage is in the Spring. The October--November Timeline would be your best bet. Just don't make it early September meet, because a lot of schools are just starting and don't like to take trips that early.

Re: Re: a Boston Invitational... I WANT YOUR INPUT!!!
 

For BattleCry, we are lent the field by FIRST. There is no charge, we just have to go and pick it up in Manchester. However, putting on an event such as BC is expensive. I've been told it costs around $25,000, and that doesn't include the many hundreds of hours put in by the volunteers.

If you do end up having this event, 190 would probably attend, as we go to almost all local off-season events.

Sounds like a good idea.

Watch the date... make sure you don't conflict with RiverRage. Otherwise it sounds great if you can pull it off. If Northeastern backs you up with space and money, I think you can do it.

I know 166 is always up for a mini-competition and Boston is close enough.

Good luck!


--Jordan

Also, to appeal to the CT teams, ask teams like 236 when they are (if) holding their mini comp this year. Last year, the mini comp they hold, called Bash at The Beach was in October..

Hey, any chance of holding it in Salem Massachusetts instead of Boston in October???

I go there every year for the haunted happenings and am waiting to see a FIRST team be born there!!!

idea
 

idea...

going along with the 'invite only' idea, i'm thinking of ways to select the teams considering it would be difficult to narrow down 820 to the "best" 36

a) out of all the teams interested in attending, i'd ask them to give me information on how well they did at regionls, nationals, or other post season comps. things i'd look for are:
-technical awards won
-seeding rank
-win a competition?
-finalist in a competition?
-tell me if i missed anything

b) or I can get a group together and we'd do this research ourselves and send out a list of the 100 most successful teams... the first 36 to sign up would get to compete

then we can truely find out who's the best!

BLARGH!!

ByE

erin

P.S. make sure to attack me in philly... i'll definatley be wandering around

Sounds like a good plan! I hope we do well enough to qualify...I'm all for a road trip to Boston.

Post season events
 

I'm a member of the commitee for RiverRage, from the info that I have recieved, it is going to be on Sept 6th...I'm not sure when the other ones are

Yeah, I believe 236 AND 521 are planning on hosting another post-season competition like THEY have been doing again this year. I'll let you guys no more once I find out more

yea i'm totaly familiar with your competition in pennsylvania... i've been there the past two years when i was on Buzz, it was fun

I finally came up i have a name for this invitational:

The Bean Town Blitz (BTB)... wadya think?? :D

I meet with the dean tomarrow about it... there will be more info at nats if i feel confident that the event will happen (which i do)

ByE

erin

Correction
 

Incorrect...River Rage is the longest running mini competition. Not to step on your feet, but the RR people would kill me if I didn't say something =)

The Bean Town Blitz, I like it. Anything in particular that made you think of it?

Re: Correction
 

I understand I did mean to say 2nd longest. but i was in a hurry when i posted the first time. So let me rephrase that now. The PARC is the 2nd longest run mini running today.

Tentative Date
 

there are still more plans to make... but the tentative date is August 16, 2003

I can't hold it in September because of issues with the university (mostely with semester conversion... people are way too busy at that time) but hopefully August will still work! Let me know!

ByE

erin

Dear Erin,

The summer has never been a good time for off-season events. Especially in late August/ Early September time frame. For a couple of reasons

1. There are some other competitions around that time frame
(NASA MD State Fair, River Rage, etc)

2. Colleges, High Schools are preparing around that time, and it hard to get people to come

3. There are other several other reasons that makes this time period difficult for people

I really hope to have A NU Off-season.
Thank you for your efforts.