Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Can a team that was at the Championship last year let us know whether or not there will be a practice field at the event? We would like to be able to do some testing of the robot on a practice field (there was a "half-court" one at the BAE Granite State Regional) but haven't seen anything definitive about whether or not there are any practice fields at the Championship.

Thanks!

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Last year there were 4 complete practice fields (one for each division). There is no guarantee that will be the case this year.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Weren't there only 2 complete practice fields, with 2 divisions each sharing one? Correct me if I am wrong, but that is how I remember it.

Either way, hopefully there is something. A half field at minimum.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

I believe he is right, I only remember two, right down the middle of the pits.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Ricky's right, there were two. Two divisions to a field, with Archimedes and Curie sharing one and Galileo and Newton the other, IIRC.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Thanks for the answers to the question about practice fields at the Championship -- it's good to know that a practice field will be available.

How were the practice fields managed? Was it simply "first come, first served" on the field for one team at a time? Was more than one team able to use a single field at once? Was there a sign-up sheet with teams signing up for times in advance? With around 80 teams in a division, it seems like there might be a lot of contention for practice field usage, especially on Thursday. Any more information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

There was a big sign-up sheet where you could sign up for a certain time. If the field was empty though, most of the time they would just let you practice.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

There was no practice field at the philly event, but however their was one there last year. It all depends on the size of the venue.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

I have a simple question with the 2 complete practice fields down in atl last year, did teams need to jumper the OI to get the extra channels or did the fields come with a system that would enable the OI and assign a channel to it (similar to the setup used for an actual event)

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Actually, it was set up just like most of the practice fields at regional events. Basically, you would just use a really long tether. :p;)

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

By the end of Friday, other divisions started invading the practice field, but as long as no one was waiting, it was okay.

I am worried about flying balls in the pits with the practice setup...

Kev

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

We helped run the practice field at Peachtree and there were balls that often missed their targets and got off the field. I think it might be a slight problem. We also had teams accidentally shoot balls and get them stuck on ledges 30-40 feet in the air...

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

You can download the official pit map here. Looks like there will be two practice fields, just like last year.

Mike C.

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Are these the same 2 halls (rooms in convention center) as last year?

Re: Practice Field(s) at Championships in Atlanta?
 

Yeah, and the whole set-up looks to be exactly the same as last year.