Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

ahhh!! so thats who it is??? now i know... thx...

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

I thought it was really cool that he remembered all of the connections.

My mom was a little startled by the whole thing, though. Said something about the matches making her think FIRST was "some Old Boy's Club"... then I pointed out Team Overdrive ^_^

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

Correct. In 2006, 177 seeded 2nd on Galileo, and then lost to 25, 968 and 195 on Einstein in the semis.

In 2007, 177 seeded 50th on Newton, and won the championship with 190 and 987, defeating 1124 in the newton finals.

In 2008, 177 seeded 26th on Archimedes (by 1124) and lost to 67, 16 and 348 in Einstein semis, beating 987 in division finals.

In 2009, 177 seeded 25th on Newton, and were defeated by 111, 67 and 971 in Einstein semis.

The last 3 out of their 4 consecutive appearances on Einstein have been as the 3rd partner. Never underestimate 177...

On a side note, I found it amusing listening to all this back and forth between 67, 111, 217, 68 and 247, with Mountain View just sitting pretty waiting for the match to start...

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

He def. has a good brain to host and harvest all this FIRST info. before, between and after matches =) thats all I'm going to say... as others have said Dave know's his FIRST history =]

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

I've always believed that the STORIES behind the teams and their robots are far more compelling than the matches themselves. FIRST isn't just played in the here and now: 2 minutes and 15 seconds at a time.

The Lakers and the Celtics cannot be summed up in a single game, nor can the Yankees and the Red Sox, or the Leafs and the Habs. Decades of history, rivalry, and even controversy give character to something until it that evolves beyond just throwing a ball through a hoop, putting a bat to a ball, a puck into a net, or even a moonrock to a trailer.

Thankfully, for those of you who've had the pleasure of being at an event that Karthik MCs, you will know the importance of these stories, their histories, and how every match is a new chapter written in the FIRST tome. He's consistently been one of the greatest historians/storytellers I've ever met in all of FIRST, and believe me the community has benefited immensely from it.

Dave Verbrugge's introduction really exemplified how much the FIRST community (and those beyond) need to hear these stories. Not enough of us are telling them, and even fewer are documenting them.

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

The connections between teams are always incredible, even teams that haven't been around for particularly long. I love the intricate stories we have each year because of all of the ties and interconnections between teams and the people in FIRST. It's part of what makes the experience so special.

Re: Introduction to the final matches
 

I was also marveling at his magnificent memory. Although I knew the majority of the backstories of the the teams, I doubt I would be able to spiel it all off without forgetting something. I also was unaware of how 67 helped start 217, pretty cool.