Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

I have to say that I was originally disappointed with the game design and everything as a whole. But then, as I saw the elimination rounds, the game got a LOT more exciting, and I came to realize that there is so much more that can be done in this game than in stack attack, and I'm starting to think I actually like it more!

The thing I didn't like is that a lot of teams (including ours) had a lot of difficulties getting their robot up and running correctly. This impeded them in making the qualification rounds interesting, and what it basically boiled down to is he who hangs wins. There WERE rounds, however, that it was the small and 2x balls that ultimately decided the outcome. Team 869 has an AMAZING shooter (whose name is apparently Justin :) ), and with their ball corraller, they were able to fill up the tall bin on multiple occasions. It was no surprise that they did so well.

The elims were SO much more interesting to watch. I wish I caught them all, but I was glad to see the game played as it should be.

We walked away with nothing but smiles on our faces, and an excitement toward the Chesapeake Regional. A HUGE thanks to team 219 for choosing in their alliance. Sorry about our pulley, but you guys rock!

On the organizational side of things, I give an enormous amount of respect toward the crew and volunteers, they were amazing in making everything so smooth.

HOWEVER, I felt that the Sovereign Bank Arena, beloved stadium around the corner from my house, was not laid out in a way that was efficient for us to do what we needed to do. I was constantly on my cell phone communicating with teammates in the stands because I couldn't leave the pit for too long, but needed to get to my personal belongings, scouting sheets, etc. Being that it took 5 minutes to walk from pit to stands, we had a difficult time keeping track of who was where when we needed something from a specific teammate. Having only one entrance to and from the pit made this tough, especially because our stands section was 2/3 of the way around. I think that if they chose the SBA next year, they should try to open the pit on both sides, making it a complete half-circle, which would be easier for everyone.

Other than that, I was really pleased with how it went! I know they had problems with the scoring system, but just like with our robots, it takes testing, work, and revamping to get it right. I'm really glad to have been at the regional this year, and good luck to everyone else in their future events!

Hope to see you in Annapolis!

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

This competition was one of the quietest I've ever been too! The MC had to constantly keep nudging people to make any sort of noise. Although, finally, towards the end there was some mad cheering going on...I was disappointed by the lack of it in general. I think the biggest problem is that there weren't any MOESticks around. I'm very unhappy about the rule forbidding noise makers like that. I'm sorry but you need to have noise to have a competition like that. This is my second year on the team and I must say...I must prefered my first year's competitions. I mean...come on...I almost fell asleep! That might have been because I was running around all weekend though too but...sheesh. Anyone else unhappy about the lack of cheering?

As far as the robots go, oh my gosh...there were some really awesome robots out there!

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

Agreed on the part with the dead competition. Must commend 195 and 88 and 869(Cordis) for that one they were the 3 teams up the whole time..... Agreed on the part with not the rite place it needs to go back to Rutgers. Yea this was a very very quiet compeition overall. I have had a 100 times more noise at Rutgers and stuff.. but yea the guy that got the 17 balls in the semi's was from Middlesex Cordis.... amazing shooter he shot 2 in the goal but PVC pipes were to wide so they fell out. hey basically won both rnds due to him. Very nice shooting. Our HP was 24/25 mobile goal and 20/29 on the stationary....

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

Representing team 219 i would like to comment on our own performance in the trenton regional. On behalf of my entire team we are overjoyed at were we got in this competition. Last year we finished 43. This year we went into the finals in the 2nd seed. Our goal was to win 50% of our matches and we would have been more than overjoyed. Our team differs much from oter teams. On our team we have no engineers no mentors and no large sponsors. The robot was mainly designed and built by three very didicated seniors including my self. I would in the most polite way like to brag that a team designed, fabricated, built, and driven by 3 18 yr olds, was able to make the 2nd seed in entering the finals.
I would also like to extend a very sincere and courtious thank to teams 223, and 1089. We have no regrets what so ever about the two of you and regardless of our unfortunate mechanical problems in the quaterfinal, i feel all 3 of us did extremly well.

Fell free to email at billbartell@comcast.net
---please use gracious professionalism with the email---

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

One more thing i missed was the friday nite team gathering which was a lot of fun at Rutgers in Smithers Hall..... They sooo need to move it back to Rutgers Rutgers just had its own excitement level. And all the teams did very well at Rutgers there were very few that disappointed. Almost every team had its good rounds and bad rounds.

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

I would like to double all of those comments. Our string of bad luck in our 1/4 final match was that both our robots lost their ability to hang, and we lost by 15 points or so. I really loved havin both teams with us, and if we had to make the choice again, we would make it with no reservations, between the class and the overall atmosphere you two brought to our (tho short lived) alliance, it was the best experience i could have thought!

Erich.keane(the funny little character that looks like an A with a circle around it.... sometimes means at)verzion.net is my email.

Little story about the amazingness of 223 in our final qualifiers. This team, mathematically eliminated from the score, and with us ranked about 3-4, facing perhaps the stiffest competition of the day (571's amazing ball collection/shooting style/2x), put it all on the line.

Instead of playing it safe, 223 decided that they would do WHATEVER it takes, to win for US. Easily the best GP and Class i have ever thought of. They put their bot in one of the most dangerous position we could imagine, and did it amazingly. They did a full contact blocking session against the other 2 teams, winning us our final victory, securing 2nd place. Even though they wanted more than anything to hang, to test if they could, they put it all on the line for us. For that we extend our greatest thanks, and wish both allies luck whereever you end up next!

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

The competition was quiet at first but as it moved on during the day the voices have begun to get louder as the robots began to hang or attempt to hang 3 at a time. As well as the playing of all the dance and party music by the MC. Espicially the YMCA and the CHA CHA SLIDE , ELECTRIC SLIDE.

I will be posting some pics in the white papers section under compressed files b/c I had taken quite a few b4 my batteries ran dead. ( Mind you I had a Rechargeable and a Regular Battery )


Edit:/ Ok I uploaded the White Papers There are 3 of them all labled NJ Regional Pics X (x=a number between 1 - 3.)

These Files have been zipped so make sure you have a WinZip Program on handy

Each file contains different images you may post the pictures in the gallery if you want I just don't have time to post one by one by one. etc.......

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

Ahh. We were this close. If the winds were blowing in a slightly different direction and it were a full moon, we could have won.

It was that close.

In our first loss in the finals, we would have won if 87 managed to grab the bar and not topple.

In the second round, if there were slightly less balls in other alliance's goal or if they didn't cap the goal, we would have won.

It was that close. Heck, our alliance partner 716 barely got up on the bar. We were wondering if they were touching the platform. Fortunately, we didn't have to fight very hard for the bar since we could drive sideways much faster than 237 could move sideways hanging on the bar.

Even though we didn't win the last match, I loved it. It was close, three bots got onto the bar, a goal got capped, our alliance partner barely got onto the bar - it was intense. I gotta get a video of it.

Funny how we were surprised to even get into the elimination rounds. We had a 4 match winning streak, and then a 4 match losing streak in the seeding rounds. The last loss in the seeding rounds was disappointing, since it was a rematch and we won the first time. :mad: Oh well. I bet the referree was hoping that we'd win so nobody would yell at him.

Then on our way back from lunch @ McDonalds, one of our team members still at the arena called us and told us we were picked.

Considering that this was the first year that we've been picked to play in the elimination rounds, I'd say we did pretty good.

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

It was a full moon, and I think that's what did us in ;)

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

Bah-- our team was easily this close || from going on. That silly set screw/ stuck telescope arm combo musta been caused by the rotation of venus on the competition... Cause you know how much venus hates mercury.... oh wait, you are named after the metal, hehe.

Perhaps it was Vanadium then?

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

We are actually all three: The planet, the Metal and the God. We were thinking of making our team chant "metals and planets and gods, oh my!"

Hopefully next year we will have a bigger spirit team.

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

Team 195 won the sportsmanship award...and came in third with the assistince of RAGE and MORT. The thing that suprised our team was, we lost our first two matches, but then, we started winning and won every single one from the first two on. The only other two matches we lost, where the ones against 303's alliance. See you at UTC !

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

My prediction was that it was a conspiricy. That darn planet Venus teamed up with Vanadium (just cause it sounds cool), and that weird guy from under the sea in the little mermaid, to trick our robots into not working.

Either that, or physics just started working again, but who knows?

Edit: obviously i used some strong language... sorry :)

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

NJ was fun, despite our overabundance of DUMB MISTAKES that make us lose
matches (repeat to self: I will MAKE SURE that all radios and pwm cables are plugged in BEFORE a match, not after).

yeah, so i was actually quite impressed with our ability to function in the finals, scooping up a load or two of small balls and almost decapping a big goal even though all the motors on the right side of the drive train were cooked into oblivion. thanks a bunch to 181 for picking us (seed number 42 getting 4th pick? who woulda thunk it?), sorry that we couldn't have been more of a help.

and for 219 and 223, about that match we had to replay? yeah. at first we were a little mad, but the more i think about the more i see how it was fair. great job.

we'll be seeing a lot of you folks again at UTC, and good luck to everyone in the meantime

Re: New Jersey Regional Status
 

I was the co-pilot for 303 and who knew a freshman could cap and uncap so well. i am still shocked about how our team along with are allies could do so good and win the regional. and i could not have better pilot along side of me then my good friend Mike8519. congats to 237, and 56 great job. also to all the other teams that played in this regional you all did great and hope you had fun like I did.