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IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
A huge thank-you to everyone who made the IRI such a fun and exciting event.
There is always as risk in naming names, but i will do my best to capture everyone - 72 teams who played awesome matches on the field, then came off smiling and excited and friends with everyone. Paul Copioli - our awesome MC Dan Green and Collin Fultz - the greatest announcing duo in the land Mark Leon - NASA tv from the IRI? - Fantastic! Mark Koors and Jerry Budd - The field was nearly flawless for 2 days Molly Menges, Brandon Martus, David Kelly, JAckie Abbott and everyone who was on the scoring table / music selection / team Brant Bowen - great job with the volunteers and everything else we needed Matt Fultz and Cathy Warner - Super Judge Assistants / Advisors Ryan Dognaux - Great job organizing and managing the talent show Jeremiah Johnson - You kept the pit news flowing Team 45 Students and Parents - for set up, clean up, T-shirt sales and help all around the event Aerfin Bari - Always on "Que" Team 461 - Tarps, set-up help and anything else we needed The Referee Crew - You set the standard! Talent Show contestants - Great DSATK - Great show - I think you should let your sister sing more! Judges - You made great selections and we know it was tough work Many, Many other volunteers who helped with queing, field reset and anything else needed Team 1024 - fantastic facility and great concessions and help with so many electronical things Kelli V - for the great pictires and capture of the event Teams who stayed late to help clean up - 93 and 2194 (I think) Team 234 Students and Parents - video feed for the field, pits and NASA TV!, set-up, clean-up, volunteer and judges rooms, silent auction, DINNER for 1400! and anything else we asked. And, Andy Baker - always fantastic to work together. What a great event. (p.s. - and Copioli did bring us onto the field in the right order....) ;) |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
The 2007 IRI was the best ever. This event brought together 72 of the best teams in FIRST. This was evident by the quality of the matches. Every match was like a finals match at the Championship.
We all owe a special thank you also to all the people that made this great event happen. This event is the jewel of the off season events and continues to amaze us with surprises like the awesome banners showing winners of every past IRI - Great touch. Again - Thank you IRI! Looking forward to next year already - start the count down. BTW - the rule changes were brilliant! |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
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My team was on the losing end of this rule, by the way. One very defensive qualifying match went 17-16 against our alliance when we put up a row of four ringers -- but I agree that the keeper our opponents got should outweigh that. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
i like to thank all the teams who made IRI possible and all the volantears for making it run smoothly. THANKS TO ALL AND SEE U ALL AT THE NEXT IRI.
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Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
a word or two of thanks to
the planners of IRI - it is definitely my favorite off season and maybe my favorite competition of all chris fultz - for helping us with housing accomodations again the "moms" of 234 - the kids loved staying with you the volunteers that i worked with this year - a great bunch of people the parent committee of 234 - great food and snacks again all the teams - i love talking to teams that this seems to be the only time we get together and for meeting so many new people jane young - my harry potter book which i shared on the ride home to florida the talent show committee - it was awesome, especially the martians the refs, judges, volunteers and everyone else - just because a big thanks for inviting 233, we LOVED it! |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Congrats to the winners of course, but also congrats to every single team that made it to IRI. It's obvious that all the best teams attend IRI as I found myself constantly wondering during the pickings how certain teams got picked 2nd or 3rd or didn't get picked at all when they had absolutely awesome robots and drive teams.
Thanks 968, 330, and 177 for being great alliance partners. Also a huge thanks to 469 and 33 for always lending a helping hand when we need it. Most importantly a huge thanks to everyone who managed to make IRI a success. That was quite possibly the best competition... ever. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
IRI has been the highlight of the off season events and this year Indiana outdid themselves. The event was perfectly planned, executed and had plenty of everything an event should have. Thanks for the invitiation to play with such great teams and visit with friends. The trophies were great, the venue wonderful as always, the talent show hard to describe, the ceremonies top notch, judges were outstanding, overall a wonderful experience. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped pull this off. You should be very proud of what you accomplished this weekend.
Congratulations to all the final teams, you gave us one of the toughest finals ever recorded. Congratulations the teams who received judged awards. A special congratulation goes out to Mike Martus, mentor on Chief Delphi, 47. You deserve this great honor of Mentor of the Year. FIRST exists because of dedicated people like you who know the value of working with students and keeping a program alive that has so many benefits. I am proud to know you. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
The 30+ contingent from the River City Robots Channel Cats (Team 1094) had a great time competing, volunteering, participating in the talent show with a more reserved FISHBOY this year and just visiting with other teams. The whole IRI crew and participating teams deserve a big THANK YOU for this outstanding event which, deservedly so, gets more popular every year.
We hope to see many of the same teams at the St Louis Regional next year and again at the 2008 IRI. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
With only 3 students and 2 mentors at IRI, 330 was very short handed. We want to especially thank 447 for helping us unpack the crate Thursday night and and 910 for helping us pack on Saturday. We also want to thank all the teams we borrowed parts or supplies from.
Thank you to 968 for picking us and 177 and 910 for making a great alliance. We almost made it, and those two quarterfinal matches were some of the best of the year. Finally, thanks to all the IRI staff and volunteers for a great event. We look forward to being back in the future. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
While refining some special features for the Pit Announcer <grin>, I was approached by a young team member. I would like to guess that he is from 1114 but not sure. He comes up beaming with a big magic marker and an outstretched arm and says:
"JANE! - would you write 'GO GDC with an exclamation point' on my arm and then sign your name?" :) I was a little taken aback but I said sure and did as he asked. So - from the wisdom and arm of a very smart FIRSTer: GO GDC! (please note the exclamation point) Thank you everyone for an amazing time in Indiana. Jane |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Every time I try and write one of these posts, it ends up being ridiculously long. I'll try and keep this brief.
First off, thanks to the amazing IRI organizing committee. For the 3rd consecutive year, this was by far my favourite event of the season. All facets of the competition were executed perfectly. Many FIRST events could stand to learn a lot from this amazing crew of people. Thanks to Jim Zondag for creating an amazing scheduling algorithm. Despite the claims to the contrary by lesser programmers, Jim showed that we could have a schedule without ridiculous amounts of duplication. This was such an improvement over what was forced upon us this season. The alliance of 968, 330, 177 & 910. No #5 seeded alliance should be that ridiculously stacked. As happy as I was with our alliance, when I saw what we were up against in the quarters, I just shook my head and said "Only at IRI". Thanks for being a part of the six keeper match, possibly the best match I've ever seen. Team 494 - It was great having you as part of our alliance. Even though we didn't have an opportunity to put you in a match, you did everything else you could to help the alliance. Team 111 - For years, Team 1114 has been waiting for the day when we could finally be on an alliance with you. Your amazing designs have been inspiring us for years. Thanks for having us as a part of this amazing alliance. It was such a thrill. Team 2056 - I can't quite explain it, but whenever our two teams get together, everything seems to turn to goal. For those who weren't there, 2056 was actually the highest scoring capper on Friday, averaging 5.5 tubes per match. We were ecstatic that you flew under the radar and fell to our alliance. You're definitely not a rookie anymore. The "Team Canada" contingent - This weekend, Team 1114 had a few special guests, representing some of the best Canadian teams in FIRST. We had current and former members of teams 188, 296, 610 & 1503 all in attendance helping us out. It really felt like the Canadian National Robotics team. Thanks to Adam, Jeff, Pat, Jonathan, Sagar, Steph and all the Willicks (Ray, Jean, Kyle, Stacy, Who I've considered to be full 1114 members all season long) for being a part of the Simbot family. Also, a special group of 1114 who deserve some recognition is the 1114 pit crew. Our robot was in rough shape this weekend. Friday night, we had to replace all 6 drive wheels and sprockets. It was not a pretty situation. On Saturday morning, they were still frantically working in the pit trying keep everything running. It seemed like after every match, a new problem was introduced. In the elims, at various points we lost use of our camera and elevator, and it looked like we might not be able to open the ramps. Yet time after time, they made last second repairs, nullifying the impact of the damage. Thanks to everyone else who was a part of the Team 1114 IRI experience. It was definitely a weekend to remember. (So much for brevity...) |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
I'd like to congratulate and thank the IRI planning committee and volunteers for pulling off such an amazing event. IRI 2007 definitely ranks among the top three events I've ever been to in all my years in FIRST.
I'd especially like to thank Team 1114 for welcoming me to join them for IRI when 1503 wasn't extended an invitation. As Karthik just mentioned, there were actually six Canadian teams represented at IRI instead of two, but it really felt like just one. The Simbots are an amazing group of people, and I'm honoured to have shared the experience of competing at IRI with them. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
IRI was my first competition in a while where I was more of a spectator and a lot less involved in the competition, and I must say that this was the best competition I have been to yet. Between how well run the event is, and the number of great teams, it is the type of event that will attract me to come back year after year.
I would like to echo Pat's comments by thanking 1114 for their hospitality. It was really a fun weekend, and the Simbots are a great group of people (even the little simbots). Ohh, and Pat even though most people thought there was only one Canadian team, getting the highest scoring robot in the second round was a total steal. Congrats to 2056 on the best rookie season a team could hope for; 2 regional wins, strong showing at the championship, and an IRI win! |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
IRI was an absolutely amazing competition--I only wish we could have gotten out there prior to this year.
We had a great time visiting with many of our old friends, and making many new ones. The match scheduling algorithm was, as Karthik pointed out, simply awesome. We loved being able to finally play with, and not only against many amazing teams. This was by far the best event I've ever attended in my seven years of FIRST. It would be hard (if not impossible) to identify a point in time in which a better group of teams have gathered together under one roof. Thanks to all the volunteers and organizers of the event--I doubt it could have been more smoothly run. Without a doubt the IRI is more well run than many official FIRST events. Many thanks go out to BAX Global, who helped 254, 330, 968, 980, and 1577 get their robots to the IRI. Plus a nice little goodie bag :) The six keeper match was without a doubt the best I've seen this year, and one of the best I've ever seen. The moment when the last keeper fell on the rack was absolutely insane--the crowd was Einstein-like. Congratulations to 111, 1114, 2056, and 494. I was stunned when 2056 lasted as long as they did. You all were truly a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who was at IRI was lucky to see such amazing alliances, as it would be near impossible for them to occur in the regular season. 111 1114 2056 494. 968, 330, 177, 910. 233 71 1902 1732. 48 67 469 148. Absolutely insane. All those alliances have Einstein written all over them. The 2007 IRI was fantastic, and I'm sure we'll be coming back in the future. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
IRI 2007 was an absolutely magical event - Team 1732 feels so lucky to be part of it! A big, big thanks to all of the outstanding organizers and other volunteers who worked so hard and so smartly, and to all the teams who pushed up the level of play to quite possibly unprecedented heights. In every facet and at every level, this event is the model for all others - This one had it all.
Congratulations to 111/1114/2056/494 for your hard fought victory and to all of the award winners for their excellence! Thank you 233 for picking us as a backup so we could be in alliance with you, The BEAST and Exploding Bacon - wow! Experiencing that six keeper autonomous was utterly amazing and downright spooky. 910, you were so close with your two tube autonomous! - we anxiously await seeing it at MARC! I'm awestruck. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
I just wanted to say thank you to a few of the families of 234 for giving myself and few other lucky members of 233 a place to stay, it is very appreciated and an awesome expierence. The basements were very exciting to see!
I also wanted to say thank you to 1902 for cheering for 233 more then we did and for trying to get us in the right mood to cheer. Hopefully we made up for our lack of enthusiasm the next day, I know my throat was sore the entire ride home. Also to 71, 1902 (again), and 1732 for being great alliance partners. To 71 we had two good runs this year, if we're lucky we'll have some more next year. 1902 just plain rocks, and we were extremely lucky you guys weren't picked, I assume we'll be seeing you guys at mayhem. 1732, even though we didn't get a chance to play you guys, I know that if we did we had a reliable team that could make up for our loss. And to all the planners and volunteers that make IRI possible. Hopefully I will have the opportunity come back and have another amazing time next year. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
WOW what a year!
First we must thank the IRI committee - what an event. Well organized, well run, and an incredible group of teams. We were very honoured to be included in the event and thought we would have a good showing and continue to get our name out there in the "FIRST world" but never in a million years did we think we would come home with the championship trophy. Thanks to 494 for all your support during the elimination rounds. Thanks to 111 and 1114 for believing in us and giving us a chance to play with the best of the best. WildStang, it was a privilege to play with you and watch your magic on and off the field. Those spoilers simply appeared on the rack. Thanks to Greg and the entire Simbotics team for your continued support and help from the first phone call in September 2005 until now. It was amazing to see each time how our two teams worked together to realize gold. Patriotics - Drive team and pit crew - You performed perfectly, not letting lack of experience or age come in your way. Well done! Tyler - A HUGE THANKS, without you we would still be building wooden prototypes. Congratulations to each of the teams at IRI - it was a pleasure playing with you - "where the egos come to play" See you next year! |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Will I.R.I. expand next year. This year we had 72 teams. Will we allow more teams to come?!? This is something that ponders me.
-15 point bonus for autonomous was a great idea. It kind of awarded the programmers of autonomous mode and actually made it worth having an autonomous mode. -I am the kind of person that loves spirit and the first day you can tell everyone was a little tired but Saturday it all changed. The spirit was amazing and very loud and unique. Oink Oink boom, p...i...n...k...pink pink pink. great job on spirit |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
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Also, I would just like to thank the whole Patriotics team for the great fun we had not only in the pits and in the stands, but also in the hotel and the long evenings of working on our Robot. Thank you Dean Kamen, Thank you First, and especially, thank you every team out there for making this what it is!! THANKS!!! |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Thanks to everyone for such a fun and succesfull time.
Big thanks to 1902 for going Oink Oink while our air cannon tried to go BOOM! :yikes: |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Jeez, where to begin now that I'm finally back from the great state of Indiana?
Chris Fultz and Andy Baker - I know how much planning the two of you put in to make this event happen. I maintain that it is one of the best events that I attend, and the two of you are the reason why. Team 234 - Your parent group makes the back end of the event run like clockwork. Nobody forces you to put in the time and effort to keep the volunteers and judges constantly fed, not to mention another few thousand team folks. A huge pat on the back. The entire volunteer crew, esp. Molly Menges, Jerry Budd, and Mark Koors - A smoother run FIRST event does not exist. BAX Global - This event would not be the international monster that it is without your contributions. Team 1024 and Lawrence North High School - What an awesome facility to make this epic event come to life. Your school is truly awesome and a perfect venue. 2007 IRI Judges and Mike Fitzgerald - Thank you for your patience. Being a Head Judge isn't supposed to be easy, but it was a piece of cake. Having Mike help us out from Workforce Development was a treat and I enjoyed meeting all of you... let's do it again next year? Teams 1114 and 2056 - Hey Canadians, congratulations on winning the America's Cup. ;) Tyler coming up for the award while wrapped in a Canadian flag was also pretty freakin' entertaining. You guys are great. A few general things I am thankful for: - About a thousand hugs from my favorite FIRST folks. - Being able to walk past a crowd and get a response to 'oink oink'. - Head Judge... Matt Fultz, what were you thinking? (but thanks!) - Dean Simmons and the Kamens: I was super excited to watch you guys perform. Lars is soooooo awesome, I want his autograph! - Greg stepping up to the plate to help out the abbreviated 126 crew. - RhodeWarriors being amazing friends and always fun to hang out with. They make even Indiana a blast. - White Castle and Steak 'N Shake. That's all, just thanks for existing. - 1720 folks... you guys always make me proud. - You know it's an awesome competition (and well run) when my crazy grandma who is in her late 70's can go, have a good time, and keep track of what is going on. - I am lucky enough to have this group of people - say, oh, about a whole 71 team - that are always encouraging, always happy to see me, and always making sure I am well-fed. They are the best support group any person could ever ask for, and some of the nicest in FIRST. And most of all, thank you to Chris Fultz and the appropriate folks for allowing me to present and be involved with the Marcia Beatty Scholarship. It meant the world to me and was a very emotional moment. (Although I know Marcy would have laughed at me if she knew I really lost the script...) Best. IRI. Ever. Offseasons come and go, but anyone who's anyone knows that IRI is it. It truly is 'Where The Egos Come To Play'. :) |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
As always, the IRI was the best competition of the year. Always so much fun.
I want to thank a few people: - Amanda Morrison for coming to pick me up at the airport. I really appreciate that, especially with my constantly changing arrival time. - Ernie Pacsai for giving me a ride home and rides around Indy. - The IRI talent show organizers for doing such a great job as always. - DSK for a fun time at the show, and Demanda Kamen for the great performance - Wildstang for letting me play with the band, and also the fun night with Guitar Hero. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
I'd like to thank everyone that made my IRI experience possible, this was the first time I made it down for IRI and I was really impressed and yes, it deserves a spot on my best competition list. I had the opportunity to sit and watch with my sister team, Team 1114 alongside 2056, I was more than impressed. I was very pleased with their hospitality and friendliness; they truly represented "Team Canada" well. Team 1114's robot is one wonder, but the team members themselves are another wonder. Thanks for making a memorable weekend Simbots.
Congrats to Team 1114, 2056, 111, and 494 I would like to also extend my thanks out to: Ed Patterson from the X-CATS, Team 191 from Rochester who drove me to my hotel on Friday night, it was very helpful... Thanks and see you at the Ruckus Jeff Beckett from 1114, who drove me back to Downtown Indianapolis on Saturday evening. Jonathan Norris from 610, who gave me inspiration to come to IRI despite my busy schedule. Karthik for making me feel right at home with the Simbots. Brandon Martus, great selection of music at the event, I was more than pleased. Last, but not least, the IRI planning committee, by making keepers worth 15 points; you really changed the outlook for most teams. I was waiting to see six keepers the whole season... And I finally saw it. I hope to see ya'll next year. |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Okay I finally found some time to write a few messages...
First of all I would like to say that my team (1577) had a blast at IRI. It was totally worth the money and effort that was put into it. Although we weren't as successful as we expected to be (something always has to go wrong), it really was a fun event and a unique experience. A huge thanks goes to Chris Fultz and Andy Baker the amazing organizers for helping us with everything we needed (I had sent Chris a few million messages during the months before IRI). Another gigantic thankyou (I really couldn't find the words to describe the greatness of our gratitude) to BAX global (and especially Scott and Nathan). Without BAX we wouldn't be able to come with our robot all the way from Israel. I believe this is the same for the California teams. Our original idea of disassembling the robot was crazy and would never work Also, thanks to these teams for helping us out with batteries and chargers: 1114 968 461 1018 And to our pit neighbors 45 and 234 for helping us out with tools, advice and everything else we needed. Thanks to all the nice people that stopped by our pit to talk to us about our robot and team. And a final thanks to Libby Ritchie and Jane Patterson from 393 (and of course Chris) who helped me come to the IRI last year. My great experience last summer (and of course my desire to play with the greatest teams around) led to the decision to bring my team and robot along this year. Hope to make it to my 3rd IRI next year... |
Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
I can not remember the team numbers or anything, but I still want to thank them all the same. We borrowed everything from silicone spray to drill bits (and a drill). We even borrowed a couple of students and a mentor for a while. We were just four kids at this event and did lousy. We could not get our lift working right, lost most of our matches, and had a great time doing it. So to all of you that helped us out (many of you we did not even ask) we sincerely appreciate it. And I for one believe that are what FIRST is all about.
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Re: IRI - A HUGE THANK YOU!
Man, this sounded really fun. If you folks will have us next year, team 359 from Hawaii would like to attend!:D :D :D
-Glenn |
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