team spirit tools...
 

hi,

i noticed that MOE has had their moe sticks banned from any event that they participate in, has any other team had a spirit tool banned, taken away, or told to stop?

i know at UTC in 2001, we had drumsticks, and we were banging on the seats all weekend....although the event staff got tired of it and confiscated all of them :'(

Re: team spirit tools...
 

read the manual and the updates

ALL noisemakers are BANNED at all events this year

No bangers
No stompers
No wooden hand clappers
No shakers
No drummers
No on the floor wackers

No boingy bang bonkers
or in the air smackers!

you cannot use them here or there
you cannot use them anywhere!

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Look like someone was celebrating Dr. S's birthday yesterday...

Are you still wearing your Cat in the Hat hat, Ken?

But seriously...we didn't lose any noisemakers but that banner thing kind of bothers me. I'll miss MOE sticks too.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

In StL we had mini trumpets that didn't even make noise that we had taken away. But when we got to Chicago we used drumsticks and the FIRST bins as drums. Nothing happened in Chi. Maybe because there aren't as many rookie teams that haven't experienced the real FIRST enthusiasm. I don't know it's just my opinion. Also, in StL we were featured on a morning news show making noise because we were loud.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Budda - Are you talking about last year?

the official FIRST events for this year have not started yet - if you went to a local scrimmage and used noisemakers, that doenst mean you can use them at a FIRST regional.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

At SBPLI last year, RAGE was asked to stop using our noisemaker sticks because we were so loud with them that they couldn't hear announcements in the pit area, which was located directly behind our bleacher area. Fair enough request, and I apologized to the Pit Boss. But it was a little disappointing since it was the first time we were able to get the whole team cheering at once!

We are relying on our voices this year, and the Adults have challenged the Students to see who can cheer loudest and longest. (The Adults will win!)

Re: team spirit tools...
 

I think that taking away some of the noise makers really takes away the spirit of FIRST. Sure some devices (especially whistles for me) really annoy me, but hey, it’s a ton of fun. And if it’s what gets teams ready to go and even more excited about FIRST and the competition, they should be allowed. Just like in sporting events, you will see noise making devices. Yes using your voice works too, but if that is all we can do, by day 2, the whole arena is going to be quiet because nobody has a voice left.

I think for next year FIRST should reconsider some noise making devices.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

*sigh* I guess we wont' be seeing 422's Drumbone this year. :( If thier buttons say anything, I think we might just see MOE use one MOE stick this year instead of two. ;)

Re: team spirit tools...
 

What is the sound of one stick clapping? We just may show you at Trenton.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

are you still allowed to bring the plastic bottles with beads inside?

Re: team spirit tools...
 

No noisemaking devices whatsoever, I'm afraid. I'm sure atleast a few of these are also being banned for damaging the arenas. I can't think that using drumsticks to bang on seats can be good for the seats. Ditto anything else you have to bang on parts of the arena.

I think teams will do fine without noisemakers, though. You don't really need them to be loud enough... In fact, I suggest everyone start practicing clapping. if you cup your hands right it can be loud too.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

From
"10 AT THE EVENTS" under 10.7 section of COURTESIES AND RULES
The rule reads:

Music/Noise: No loud music, audio system, whistles, banging sticks, blow horns, etc. They interfere with announcements. They prevent teams from hearing important announcements, can be annoying, and can cause hearing loss.
Power may be shut off and/or radio/cd player, noise makers confisicated

Re: team spirit tools...
 

In the case of things that make noise, it's a bit like having a "no electronics" rule in school. I don't know if anybody else has that, but my school does. As I'm sitting here right now, I've got headphones and a cd player. The teachers don't mind as long it's not distracting anybody else, but the principal will definately take it away. At UTC, one of the teams (Aces High {?}) had an audio system and I thought it was awesome because they took a request from me and kept the pits upbeat, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the announcements from the pit boss. As for noise makers, my team didn't have any and I know that I screamed myself hoarse every day. I didn't mind, but I would have liked something with a unique sound that could be "the sound of the team." I think they should be allowed as long as you can still hear any pertinent information that is being announced. Like maybe if an audio system was hooked into the main speaker system so that the pit boss can quick switch it off, announce what he needs and let the music play again, almost like supermarket music, or the captain interrupting the on-flight movie.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

The buttons can be previewed at http://www.moe365.org/

Re: team spirit tools...
 

It sure will be a shame to not experience the MOE sticks anymore. It was such a joy during my days growing up in FIRST. Since the rule eliminates all types of music due to interference with pit announcements....... do you think that in the future FIRST produced music on/at the playing field will be ended due to conflicton with pit announcements?

...just a thought... :confused:

Re: team spirit tools...
 

I doubt it..

FIRST wouldn't be FIRST without the macarena, electric slide, chicken dance, cotton eye joe, and countless other classics.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

or that classic, "who let the dogs out?"

Re: team spirit tools...
 

FIRST Field music isn't likely to end because the volume can be controlled by FIRST. Also, I'm sure FIRST realizes that it's very important to keeping the game upbeat. I think FIRST just disagrees that noisemakers and pit audio systems keep the game upbeat. Or, more likely, FIRST thinks the problems noisemakers and audio systems make outweigh their benefits.

Also, should someone warn all the Walgreens and other stores in Atlanta to stock extra sore throat lozenges?

EDIT: Cotton-eyed Joe!?! I've always wanted them to play that at LSR, but how would you have the room to dance it in the stands?

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Team spirit is not all about the tools/noise makers. Last year our team won the National team spirit award and the Arizona team spirit award.

The Tigertrons didn't have any sort of noise makers. Consider other aspects of the award buy making signs, mascots, cheers, and how you interact with other teams.

Its also not a bad idea to cheer for other teams....

Bad Brad

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Bingo!
FIRST wants to see if you're cheering, not only when you are on the field or doing well but for other teams and when you are not doing so well. They want to reward your FIRST spirit not just your TEAM spirit.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Seriously The Sprit Team spent every Saturday making labels to put over the bottles and putting popcorn in them, and I help them. :mad:

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Yeah cause we put popcorn kernels in ours.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Well even if we don't have nosie makers we still have our voices, which are louder than any noisemarkers.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

not true. we had a 120db air horn (with last years compresser) on our robot cart but we had to take it off :( because our coach didnt want us to get introuble at vcu...

Re: team spirit tools...
 

I don't know, they could count popcorn kernels as food and disallow it. You would have to buy the arenas popcorn from their concession stand for a high price and use any kernel left in the bottom of the bag.


It doesn't seem right but they have had some pretty tough rules on outside food and beverages.

As long as the noisemakers aren't excessive they should be fine.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

That's kinda scary, 120-130 dB is the threshold of pain. So I can't really blame your coach for making you take that off. Deafening other FIRSTers is frowned upon after all.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

That's stupid.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

When we went to the Kettering Kickoff in sept. I had to go out the next day and get cough drops because I was screaming so much. I have to remeber to go out and buy some before our first out of state regonial.



Has anybody else had this problem.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Lets narrow the field a bit and instead ask "who hasn't gotten a sore throat from cheering too much?" :D

And I'm assuming ngreen's post about popcorn was meant to be facetious, since it IS kinda silly.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

well team 230 has worked their butts off this year for spirit..and they desided to bring me back hehe! im the viking mascot and im pumped up for atlanta...but this year we have some noisemakers (but of course they have been banned..but obviously nobody listend to that rule at the UTC Regional and its very disappointing after all the hard work :mad: ) but we also have some cheers we came up with....

Re: team spirit tools...
 

If you were at STL or Midwest you heard the Cooney Quest Noisemakers, they are loud and rather annoying, we figured we would use them till we got yelled at, and we haven't yet. We don't use them during the matches, only during intros, scores, and other appropriate times. It did get a little crazy during the Midwest Finals, but that is expected. We have upped the number of them to almost 10, any one that was at STL or Midwest feel free to post on their annoyingness. :-p

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Too bad they do not enforce the rules at my regional They had almost every single type noisemaker at SPBLI and they did not complain about food being brought in. I really did not care.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Well Doug (westfalia on CD) has a jembe and brought it to Chesapeake and Drexel and at neither one was it a problem, although it wasn't played constantly and it wasn't that loud compared to everything else...plus people probably think it's just too cool to make him stop. Only when Drexel ended and the volunteers were disassembling the arena did they ask our team to stop...heh, but then again, we were kinda going crazy banging on it. That's us for ya.

team spirit tools...
 

I have got three words for ya, kids:

GIANT PINK ROBOT!!


This thing is freaking awesome. A member of our team spent over 90 hours constructing what can only be described as a visual masterpiece.

This mascot is made up of over 40 lbs of foam, and two three-foot tall stilts, and I had the huge pleasure of roaming the NYC regional with it on.

Look for it in Atlanta... as if you will be able to miss it L :cool:

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Anyone know if I would be allowed to bring a guitar? Not a very loud guitar at all, and just to play the team theme, from the pit, when they wheel the bot onto the arena? I wouldn't abuse it but, I thought it'd make it more interesting, and the team thinks it's a cool idea. Anyone?

Re: team spirit tools...
 

I have found that each regional is different when it comes to enforcing the noisemaker rules. Someone had a guitar this past weekend at Chesapeake. Just keep in mind that you probably won't be able to hear it above the volume of the music, the announcer and the teams who are cheering. :D

Re: team spirit tools...
 

There is team spirit at the competitions (tons of team spirit at Chesapeake this week from many teams including a WONDERFUL volley across the arena between the alliances in the final match) and then there is the team spirit award:
DaimlerChrysler - Team Spirit
This award celebrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit through exceptional partnership and teamwork.

The award is not necessarily given to the team with the most spirit at that competition. I never realized it until I looked up the definition of the award this morning.

Re: team spirit tools...
 

Some people started fussing me out because of our totem pole...but it showed up well on the big screen.