2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Ahh , the smell of grinding metal and empty cans of Mountain Dew...

Now that this years FRC season as been offically Kick'd off , Whos coming to NASA-VCU this year?!

I cant wait to see everyone at regionals this year, best of luck to everyone.

-Sporno

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Unfortunately, I'll be missing the even for the second straight year (and my 2nd time ever). It's my favorite regional, but Philly's the same weekend. Have fun down there in RVA.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

5th Gear will be there on Tech Row

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Sean , sad your not gonna be there , have fun in Philly tho

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

2108 will be returning to NASA/VCU (although I think it's now officially Virginia) for our forth year :) We will also be attending North Carolina, as its in our back yard, and hopefully Champs....

See you in Richmond.

Rob.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Things worked out, and I'll once again be at the VCU regional. Looking forward to having an easy event! :)


Wetzel

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Hi all...

After missing last year 1610 has returned. We originally were gonna go to the NC regional but moved back to Virginia. A quick look at the First regional lists will tell the tail of who's coming and who is'nt.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

1676 is ready to bring some Jersey love, along with 75 and 293... ;)

We are really looking forward to the competition, we hope to see you all there!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

The best part will be meeting so many new teams.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Does anyone know if this will be webcast? Also about how far away are the pits from the field. In my experience they have only ever behind behind a curtain on the half of a stadium but I have heard of some that are quite far away

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Same arena as the other ten years. None of the pits will be far away, the furthest will have to walk the length of a basketball court and a bit to reach queuing, but will then have a very short walk when they leave.

A webcast is not for sure yet, but likely.

Wetzel

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

The Technowizards, team 809 from Manchester CT, will be there! It's our first time there and we'd love to meet some new teams, so come visit our pit and cheering/scouting section in the stands

On a side note: I will be the lead scouting mentor at VA and have been working on a little internet-based scouting system that is live on the internet right now. If anyone is interested in how it works or would like to be able to use it, feel free to find me or PM me on here and I'll be glad to help

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Excellent, thank you for offering it to other teams! As a side note, if I remember correctly the building has Wifi, but since it is set up by the university you need an account to use it. So a secondary means of accessing the internet may be required is something open isn't available.

I know myself and all of 975 are looking forward to the competition, 11 days and counting!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Team 1522 will be attending once again this year!
Good Luck to all of the teams! And see you there. :3

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I was expecting that. I don't currently have a solution for it, except to use a phone. I have pulled my iPhone out occasionally to check on it in the past and I know most of the kids out there have internet access on their phone these days, so I wasn't too worried about it.

-Fletch

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Team 2028 will be there in full force

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Hmm... according to the FIRST site it's not. Virginia's listed as 3/18-3/20, and Philly as 3/25 to 3/27. Either way, I won't be there because it's finals week at drexel, and then I'm on break for 5 days before coming back to Philly to work the regional here. But I'll be watching the webcast and rooting for 1676!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Team 422 is really excited to bring three great teams and robots from New Jersey down to Virginia. Good luck to the #75 RoboRaiders, #293 Spike, and the #1676 Pascack Pioneers. I hope all three teams can make a safe and quick trip down to the Siegel Center in downtown Richmond to display three quality teams, inside the robot and out.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I will be the volunteer photographer again, and I will also be taking pictures of teams and robots this time (since Virginia FIRST liked my photos last year). So if you see that lone tripod up in the stands, you know why! :P

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

When I posted it, they were the same week. Scheduling changes since then.

And I certainly hope you don't have a final on Saturday, that would be most lame. You should try and come down then.

I might try and make it down for Saturday at VCU, but it's still undecided.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Ah! I'm so excited for this weekend! What makes it even better is that I'm on spring break, so there's no feeling guilty for coming to the competition this year! :)

VCU is going to be way fun this year with all these teams coming from everywhere, and many already having experienced a competition or two. I feel one of the most competitive Virginia Regionals in a while, and I truly do believe in the feeling.

This year, our week three regional should be fun to watch, amazing to compete in and a bliss to experience!

... Just a few more days... :]

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

1676 is leaving in an hour or two, to head down to VA. :)

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Is there a webcast for this regional? According to this there isnt but I would like to watch the matches as I wont be at Richmond until Saturday.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Typically there is. The best thing would be to check back later today or early tomorrow. They usually don't have any video taping on practice day. Jeff Seaton (MC for the Regional) usually brings his equipment and sets it up on practice day too.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Webcast started midday today, and will be running Friday and Saturday. http://robotics.nasa.gov/ for details.


Wetzel

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I just happened to tune in to the webcast of the NASA/VCU regional. I was astonished by two of the penalties called in the first match (#21) which I watched.

1 - The blue alliance racked up 39 points in "DOGMA" penalties, because one of the balls that they returned to the field near the beginning of the match went over the "ball return counter", resulting in DOGMA penalties accruing every 2 seconds for the remainder of the match! This doesn't seem right to me. I could see 1 penalty point being assessed, but to continually assess a penalty every 2 seconds for the remainder of the match defies common sense, especially since the ball was returned to the field. My reading of <G17> is that the penalty is for balls that are not returned. Arguably, this ball was returned to the field (on time even), but simply missed the ball return counter. For 39 points of penalties to accrue from a single violation is clearly not the GDC's intent. Furthermore, once the team realizes this has occurred, they have absolutely no way to remedy the situation for entire remainder of the match! This basically means that if the human player with the trident makes a simple mistake at the beginning of the match, the unavoidable conclusion (even if they could manage to score 30+ points) is that they lose the match.

2 - One of the blue alliance robots (I think it was 1655) was also given a red card (disqualified for the match) due to being the second robot to enter the opponent's zone (the red zone) and failing to immediately remedy the problem. (See G29.) It turns out that the webcast was on the robot at the time the violation occurred, and the robot tipped over while it was crossing the bump to enter the red zone! Thus, since the robot tipped over as it entered the red zone, it had no way to remedy the problem. Again, I think a single penalty would have been appropriate, but to issue a red card for this violation, while strictly within the letter of the rules, is clearly not the intent of those rules.

This year, I had been extremely impressed by the discretion exercised by the referee crew at the Week 1 BAE Systems NH Granite State Regional (GSR) -- the referees exercised common sense with regard to issuing penalties, rather than simply following the letter of the rules for situations where common sense and gracious professionalism would indicate a different outcome. For example, at GSR, the referees clearly enforced rule G46 (Ball Penetration Restriction) with the intent that was later codified by the team update after week 1 by not penalizing "incidental protusions of the ball within" the frame perimeter when the offending robot immediately attempted to rectify the situation, or if the problem occurred as a result of robot-to-robot contact (for example, when two robots get into a pushing match with a ball in between and one of the robots ends up with a ball under the robot.)

Similarly, at the NH Granite State Regional our team accidentally drove up on top of a ball during QF1-1 when we used our robot to right an opponent's robot that tipped over during a pushing contest with our robot. We were pleased to see that the referees at GSR used their understanding of gracious professionalism to not issue a penalty to our team for this incidental (and accidental) driving up on top of a ball while we were clearly assisting an opponent robot, even in the midst of an elimination match!

My initial impression of the Virginia regional is that the referees are enforcing a much stricter (absolutely literal) interpretation of the rules. I don't think this strictly literal interpretation of the rules is in the best interest of the game, or of FIRST.

Have others that have watched more of the webcast or are actually at the regional have a perspective on whether the referees are utilizing a strictly literal interpretation of the rules, or are they exercising their discretion for common sense and gracious professionalism?

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Who is the head ref at VCU?

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

To be fair, why should we not play by the rules, particularly in the 2nd scenario you're describing? In other words, how is it in FIRST's best interest to not play by the rules they set?

The first scenario sounds like it's unprecedented (how can you even return a ball without putting it through the cyllinder?) and thus the referee would rather error on the side of literal rather than subjective. If anything, the head ref may receive clarification tonight and simply change the score tomorrow. I would much rather a referee error on the side of literal rather than interpretive, and at least in these two cases the rules are very clear.

For the second scenario, if the bot flipped then the other bot should have left the zone.

Edit -- After some research, it would appear that the alliance in scenario 1 should be issued a <G16> of 2 penalties + Yellow Card. So perhaps if the team challenges the ruling with what the rules state, their score can be changed even without GDC intervention.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

My assumption is that it would be Lisa Evans, who is typically the head ref there.

I have attended many many events head reffed by Lisa during my tenure in FIRST, including the Washington DC regional a few weeks ago.

In my experience, Lisa has always made it abundantly clear how she's going to enforce the rules during the driver's meetings. She's stricter than some other refs, but definitely within reason (and definitely not the strictest I've encountered).

In DC she was somewhat strict with the red cards for entering the opposing zone, but she identified that as a major issue during the driver's meeting. Teams should have been prepared to be called on it. She specifically mentioned needing to have only one robot in the zone, even in cases where a robot becomes disabled or tipped (it's then the alliance partner's responsibility to get out).

She was strict on Friday in DC about ball incursions, but got much more forgiving on Saturday after seeing how it was impacting the game.

I didn't see the incident in question about the ball return, so I can't comment. However, I don't recall many DOGMA penalties in DC. Additionally, DOGMA penalties are automatically asigned by FMS, not the refs.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

From what I can see all rules were followed to the letter (with the possible exception of an additional <G16> penalty), which is what I would hope would happen. By doing it any other way you will get variations in refereeing, which is exactly what we don't want.

39 points in penalties is a bit excessive, but I betcha no one will make that mistake again ;)

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Well, if a team puts a ball on the rails and it somehow misses the ball counter, then it may not be there fault (i.e. if the rails were bumped and the ball fell off beforehand).

However it could also be that the human player tried to give the ball a push using the trident, and the ball fell off. That's only conjecture and I seriously doubt anyone except for the human player knows for sure.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I'm not suggesting that the rules be ignored. However, the 2nd scenario is, in my opinion, a question of interpretation, as I can see a valid interpretation which results in a red card being issued and I can also see a valid interpretation which results in no red card. Below is the rule in question...
I would note that I am not complaining about the 1-point penalty in this situation (where a 2nd robot illegally enters the opponents zone, but falls over into the opponents zone while crossing the bump, and then incurs a PENALTY and a RED CARD for breaking G29). However, the RED CARD is issued "if effort to remedy is not immediate." One scenario is that if the drivers of the offending tipped robot were attempting to leave the zone by using the joysticks on the driver console to spin their robot's wheels, they were indeed making an effort to remedy, but their effort was doomed since their robot had tipped over. (I have no idea if the drivers of the tipped robot were taking such action, as I was only watching on the webcast, which gives a poor impression of what is going on even in the best of circumstances.) If I were the head referee (which I'm not) and the drive team was trying to get their tipped robot back out of the red zone by operating their controls (but simply spinning their wheels on their tipped robot), I would definitely issue the team a 1-point penalty and probably not issue a red card, since the team had attempted to remedy the situation (even though they had been unable to do so since their robot tipped over.) I would note that my decision on a red card would probably be affected by other circumstances such as whether or not the tipped robot posed a significant obstacle to the other alliance, which would be highly dependent upon the location and specific circumstances of where the robot is tipped. (For example, in the bump/wall corner with no balls obstructed would be relatively benign, but right in front of the tunnel/tower on top of a couple of balls could be a major impediment to the other alliance.)

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

On another note, I was not at the event today but I have photos from Wednesday and Thursday on a Picasa gallery:

Wednesday: http://picasaweb.google.com/coredesa...Regional31710#

Thursday: http://picasaweb.google.com/coredesa...Regional31810#

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Ultimately, as clarified by Q&A, even if a robot is tipped/disabled, the alliance is still in violation of <G29>. The alliance partner should make the immediate actions to remedy the situation, in that case.
However, if I were the ref (and I'm not), in the case of the red card I would still give it to the team that tipped, as they are the ones who initiated the penalty (though I would actually consider giving it to both teams).

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I was coaching for 2402 when the 39 point penalty in question occured (in fact, the human player was one of ours). Our human player had a tenancy to want to jam the balls into the trident and he says that one of them was not able to be removed easily, and it came off the rails when he pulled the trident off, and somehow made it onto the field without triggering the ball counter. He has since fixed this issue and has been our trident-er for all our matches today and done a fairly decent job.

On another note, did anybody notice the scoreboard dropping points (before they made the announcement)? We were affected by this in a subsequent match, and one of the spectators from a team on our alliance caught the event on tape. The refs also admitted to the problem and acknowledged that it would be fixed We took the issue up after the match and they said it would be rectified once the day was complete, but at the end of play they said that the recording could not be used as evidence to dispute the claim. I have heard of this happening with several other teams and I was wondering if anyone has successfully pressed the refs and judges to deal with this issue.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I want to congratulate Connor Clarke on winning the Woodie Flowers Award today. The man has deserved this award since I was first exposed to FIRST back in 2001, and finally he's getting the recognition for the years of service, passion, and chainsawing that 384 and 1086 have been lucky to receive. He was a moderator when times were heated, a good laugh when times were sad, and a great leader when times were tough.

Congrats again Chainsaw

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Hey guys
I was on field reset for the first two days o i will try to clarify some things. The head Ref is Lisa, and as long as iv been on reset ( 5 years now) she is very strict and i think always will be. In my opinion i think that the rules should have a little lee way in that they should be called if they were intentional. now to explain what happened with the ball return issue because it happened directly infront of me. the main issue that has been happening the whole event is that people are sticking the balls to far in to the trident thus making it hard for them to come out when they ball is put on the ball return. what happened is exactly that. $@#$@#$@# he was trying to get the ball out of the trident it got stuck in the ball return. as he was trying to get it free by hitting it up with the trident the ball litteraly launched over the sensor. I did explain this to the one of the refs and he did talk to Lisa but the decision was left to them and i wasnt there for the discussion.


also to explain the two main communication issues that caused basically all of the problems. On Thursday the main issue was with the WPA keys. what happened is at the beginning of the day when the keys were all added to the routers the program said that they took when they didnt. We quickly found the solution which was just easy, re-implant the WPA key which is what we were doing when you saw us on the field with a laptop. The problem on Friday was that some of the robots had new routers and what was happening was if the new routers got turned on after the old routers it kicked them off of the network. The problem was fixed by shutting off all bots, restarting the router and clearing all the information off of the system, and then turning the robots with new routers on first and then the other robots. it just took awhile because of the reboot. congratulations to alll teams on a GREAT REGINAL

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

That was a really, really long regional.

Congrats to 1676, 1086, and 1418!

And congrats to 617, 346, and 1895 for making history at the Virginia Regional by doing nine, pre-finals, elimination matches!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thanks for that, that semi-final match seemed like it was never going to end.:ahh: I would also like to thank 617 and 1895 for being made of awesome, we never would have gone as far as we did without you guys.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I am the driver for 617, the Enginerds, and running a total of 11 matches during the eliminations was really tough for us. We ran 4 during the quarterfinals, 5 during the semifinals, and 2 during the finals. Four of the semifinal matches were in a row without any breaks except a six minute time out. After the semifinals we replaced our battery and had to get right back on the field where we ran two more matches in a row. The back to back matches also took a toll on our robot. During eliminations our frame became bent and we went through three different bushings on one wheel! :ahh: The metal hinge on our kicker also got torn. However, we did have a great time and I would like to thank our alliance partners 346 and 1895. Without them we never would have gotten this far. I would also like to thank all of our opponents for a wonderful challenge. And a special thanks to all the teams that loaned us batteries or offered to: 346, 384, 435, 540, and 3079.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Yes, I was awestruck by the quality of play in the finals and semi-finals. 2402 mostlikely would have been up there with you all but we got another 44 point penalty for pretty much the same reason as our 39 point one before. You can imagine what our human player had to hear after that. All the teams did very well at VCU today, regardless of what place they took, I know that non-optimal performance was the case for many teams (us included) but I am glad that everyone was able to overcome this and play to the best of there abilities.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

thanks to all the teams that loaned us batteries and tools n such, very useful as this was our rookie year and we didn't have stuff we apparently should have :p special thanks to 1255 DOTM for their wonderful mentorship this season helping us get off the ground and for their wonderful help in the pit again with tools, batteries, and knowledge when we got WAY farther than we figured we would... congrats to all the teams who made it to Atlanta this year, great job!

on a side note, does anyone have a picture of us after we climbed kilroy? I know there were several pictures taken and i was hoping to find one... oh thanks to kilroy for having such a sweet bot for us to climb :p :D

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I agree with and would like to second everything he just said ^

Also my sister has a picture of us on the platform. The problem being that it is somewhere in the other 400 pictures she took. :ahh:

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

does she? awesome. oh and your sig kinda cuts off =P

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Pictures attached. Great elevation, and quite unexpected.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

awesome pics, thanks so much... and we weren't sure we could do it until our driver pulled up there but yeah worked like a charm =D

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Congrats to 1676, 1086, and 1418 for winning, you guys earned it.

And to the runners up 617, 346, and 1895, congrats as well, you certainly gave us a run for our money, not to mention a heart attack when they announced the amendment to the 3rd match.

Overall I have no complaints about the regional, the field crew handled everything thrown at them, and adjusted how things went to keep things going. And on top of that, our team put in 110% this year, and I am extremely proud of everything they accomplished. And I think everyone else should walk away proud as well, this was a great regional and I know I for one enjoyed being there.

I look forward to seeing everyone back next year!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

One of my parents took a ton of pics and i know I saw some of that ramping.

Now if I can get the CD from him and figure out how to do the picture thumbnails on this forum...

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Congrats to all the teams at VCU! That was one of the best regionals I have ever been to. It was also historic when there were two alliances that played about 8 to 9 matches in an hour, and that was even before finals!

Special congrats to 1676, 1086, and 1418 for winning the championship and to 617, 1895, and 346 for giving them a run for their money the second match :D

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Amid the well-deserved accolades for the regional and (all) the teams that made it great and great fun - I would like to recognize six students from four teams. They were the champions and finalists in our third annual Virginia 5th Gear tournament Saturday.

Alex, Andrew and Trevor, from Teams 75, 2028 and 2862 got together during the regional to form the Phantom Pirate Raiders alliance and take top honors.

Runners-up (by just a single point) were a trio of Awkward Turtles from team 2708: Zachary, Bradlee and Tad.

Running the show at the regional was fun for David and me, and we hope using the simulator during the build season and afterward is fun and enlightening for you.

Blake
PS: Honorable mention goes to Eric, Alexander and Michael who came in 3rd.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

After two long, non-stop days at the Virginia Regional, Team 422 ended the season with a 21-10-4 record, a finalist berth at the SunCenter in New Jersey and a semifinalist berth at the Siegel Center in New Jersey. Who would have thought that a team could build a top-tier robot in 12 days? We had a difficult time believing our own success in New Jersey, but finishing 7-1-1 after qualifying in VCU and losing in the semifinals after playing an intense 5 matches, we proved that our success was not a fluke and we were one of the best 120 robots in the two competitions.

"Ahab" (I guess we're calling the robot Ahab now) was a testament to the experience and determination the team earned over last season, and will hopefully grow into a regional-winning robot for the 2011 competition season. Nothing would be cooler for a team that went from zeros to heroes in such a short time than to book our trip to St. Louis a year early.

Thanks to everyone that came out to watch one of the longest and most grueling regionals in years, and congrats to the Engin3rds, Lambda Corps, Robohawks, Pascack, Blue Cheese, and Vae Victus on a great finals series. 697, 346 and 1895 definitely had the sauce to give the #1 alliance a run for their money, but it was clear 1676 brought the best bot back from Trenton. (we're a close second, right?)

Also, one more shout-out to the Jersey teams: you all brought three teams that model how every team in FIRST should be. No wonder you all won so many awards. I hope that all other 60 teams there (including mine) take your practices and methods to heart this off-season.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thanks and congratulations to our partners on the winning "Mason's Blue Cheese Pi" alliance: 1086 and 1418. We played like a team, and not three individuals. You guys were fantastic on and off the field, and fun to hang out with in the queue between matches. See you in Atlanta.

Kevin

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Yeah this was so close it just happen at the last second I mean the last second

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

That was truly amazing, and I defy any other regional to match it. Talk about equally-matched teams!

They all need to supplement their team uniforms next year - with ties! :p
Closer than you think. You guys have an awesome team, and an equally awesome robot. It was a real pleasure getting to know you at the Sun Bank Arena in Trenton, and great seeing you again at the Siegel Center in Richmond. Thank you for the kind words, again demonstrating why you guys are such an awesome team.

Some thanks are in order:

First, to 1086 and 1418: both excellent teams and excellent robots, who performed flawlessly throughout eliminations. 1086, I see why you guys have been the "local favorites" for a few years now, and I can tell you it's not because of your great robot. Oh, congrats on EI as well.

346, 617 and 1895: from a spectator's point of view, it may have looked like we "won easily", but to be honest you were formidable competition, we were worried.

122: wow, what a team, not at all surprising you were selected for Chairman's. I like your shirts, too - they stand out in a crowd, but in a classy, understated way. Congrats to Julia, too, well-deserved.

3168, congratulations on the RAS, and we hope to see you in Atlanta. You guys really do "get it", and we look forward to big things from your team in the coming years.

To our fellow teams from "Jersey": it was really great having your support in Virginia, you made our whole experience all that much better. We've been seeing you guys for years, but I think we all got a lot closer as teams this weekend, and we're even more honored to be considered your friends.

975, you guys are a great team, and the #2 seed proves it. We are glad we could help you out, and hope to meet up with you guys some time in the future. Say hello to your German kid from me, too and watch that metal dust! :rolleyes:

134, I wish we could've figured out what caused that problem coming out of Autonomous. You guys were on our very short list of "first pick" because of your performance as a team both on and off the field.

977, we were proud to be able to get you guys through inspection (with huge help from 612 and 75) and onto the field. OK, the 'bot flipped a few times, but even then, a well-designed machine. Hope you guys had fun last weekend. Audie, we'll be in touch.

2012, you folks need to bow down to Ms. Crouch, she is awesome. What i want to know is who will be your programmer next year?

612, we met you guys in 2008 at Buckeye, and you were and continue to be an impressive team. Your mentors are top-notch.

I know there's someone I'm forgetting, so for that, I apologize. I drove back last night, and didn't get much sleep in the process.

Last but not least, I want to thank Lisa the head referee for keeping it as fair as it could be; the FTA who must have sprouted more than a few grey hairs trying to wrestle the field into compliance, and the great MC and announcers who, despite the trying circumstances, kept the crowd going.

The VCU venue was also quite nice, with everywhere an easy path between pits and stands. Clean restrooms and hot water, plus friendly staff I didn't like the $5 parking (but it's fully understandable) nor was the arena food selection compelling (hot dogs and... um, that's all, just hot dogs), but perhaps that's only because the competition out on the street (there are a dozen or more food places within a block, and I highly recommend the Jamaican place right across the street) is so strong.


See you in Atlanta!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Congratulations to team 122 for (finally) winning the Regional Chairman's Award. You guys are one of the class act teams in all of FIRST, and have impressed and motivated me for years. Even when my former team (116) and yours had to play every single qualification match against each other in 2007, you handled it with professionalism and grace (and were one of the most fierce opponents we had to face all year). Can't wait to work with you guys in the future, and hope you can continue impressing everyone who crosses your path.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Don--completely out of curiosity was my team (3136-ORCA) on your pick list anywhere? we're 100% happy with how it all played out, yet curiosity begs the question regardless of the answer :p

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

wow...another amazing regional!!! team 1086 would love to thank team 1676 for picking us and team 1418 for being such a great alliance partner! it was awesome sight seeing this alliance run together so flawlessly match after match.

And congrats for teams 346, 617, 1895 for making it to the finals! those semifinal matches were really exciting to see! and the second finals match was as close as it gets!

And one more congrats goes out to team 122 for their well deserved Chairmans Award win!!!

we can't wait to see some of you in NC and Atlanta this year!!

-Alex

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Team 1086 would like to thank 1676 and 1418 for making a great regional winning alliance.

1676 The Pascack Pi-oneers thank you for making us your #1 pick: recognizing that the rankings don't show the true colors of a team. You guys are truly a great team and worthy advisary in the run for the Chairmans.

To the Pascack Pi-oneers coaches and mentors - you truly are role models for your students and other teams - I learned a lot from you during the time we spent together.

To the Pascack Pi-oneers Drive team - you guys were incredilble and true alliance leaders - from one drive team coach to another it was a great experience to work with you.

To Don Rotolo - Thank you for the kind and inspiring words. It is easy to see why your team has been a Rookie All Star, Chairmans and Regional winner.

To team 612 you guys rock - and your mentors are inspiring - I realize what a great mentor Philip Sica is - last years Woodie Flowers Winner is - I'm honored to stand with him and the other Woodie Flowers Winners.

To team 122 you guys told us last year that you were going to push even harder in your outreach and spreading the word of FIRST - your team has been an inspiration to 1086 for a long time - you are a true role model team. We will be in good company at the North Carolina regional.

To team 975 you guys don't know how lucky you are to have Lloyd O'hara and Bob Benway - we would have gladly accepted your offer to alli with you -great robot, great team and great mentors.

To all the volunteers, officials and other teams - thank you for making this a regional to never forget.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thank you so much! It was an amazing weekend. My kids really enjoyed playing with y'all in the qualifying rounds. We can't wait to get to Atlanta and show everyone what these Noobs can do!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

What an amazing last couple of days.

I would like to thank/congratulate every team in Virginia for making this a wonderful event to attend. Virginia really knows how to run a competition.

1086 and 1418- It was an honor playing with you in the elimination matches. You had an amazing robot out on the field. Congratulations on the Engineering Inspiration award, you guys deserved it.

Connor Clarke of 1086- Congratulations for winning the WFFA; I had been acquainted with you for the two hours during the elimination matches, and I can clearly see why you won. (Thanks for the cheese-head, by the way :D)

346, 617, and 1895- It was a pleasure facing you all in the finals. You executed a phenomenal strategy which got me scared in the second finals match.

122- Well deserved RCA. You truly spread the knowledge of FIRST from what I heard, and with that, you should be proud to have that blue Chairman's banner, you've earned it. :)

Everyone- Thanks again for making this regional a regional to remember. I hope to see you all in Atlanta!!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

This was a really fun event! First off, thanks to the referees, volunteers, and everyone else who ran this event. You guys handed all problems gracefully and should be commended.

1086 and 1418: Thanks for being awesome alliance partners. Your robots were great, as were your teams. I had an awesome time talking and cheering with you guys in the stands. I had a lot of fun adding some Blue Cheese and Vae Victus spirit onto the Pi-oneer mascot costume which I was wearing.

346, 617 and 1895: You put up a great fight with us in the finals. We were honored to play such great teams.

122: Great job on the Chairman's win. From what I've heard about you guys, you really deserve this victory.

1086: This whole weekend, it was clear that you guys are a fantastic team. Your EI victory only reaffirms that.

3168: I remember being impressed with you guys throughout the entire weekend. With your volume in the stands and your dancing off to the side of the field, your presence was felt. Congrats on the Rookie All-Star award. You earned it!

388: Playing Jenga with you in your pit was really fun. Even though I always lost, I truly had a great time with you guys. :D

75 and 293: It was great to bring some NJ spirit to VA with you. Also, I'm glad to have spent time with you guys all weekend long.

This event was extremely fun, and I'm glad to have had the pleasure to attend it. For all who are going, see you in Atlanta!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thank you, I know our team enjoyed playing with you guys, and I'll pass on the hello to Kevin, I know we are going to miss him next year.

Thank you so much for the kinds words, it means a lot coming from the team that has won the past three years! We have made some great pick ups on mentors in the past few years, and their help and insight have been invaluable to our team, and we only hope to keep on expanding.

And of course, congratulations on winning the Woodie Flowers award!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I see this long discussion going on, so I will give you a little insight. I'm Matt Glennon, the Field Supervisor for the VA regional (and I'll be FS on one of the fields in Atlanta too.) As far as the large DOGMA penalties, the rules state that the team must return the ball using the provided slide. This much I know. I do not know (someone help me here) if their is actually a rule stating the penalty for throwing the ball over the glass or otherwise bringing it into play by another means.

As for your "but I betcha no one will make that mistake again" comment; they did. We only had this happen twice. Both times it was the same human player. He kept getting the ball stuck in the end of the slide when taking it off of the trident. In order to get it unstuck, he would smack the bottom of the ball, launching it over the upright wall. He came up after the second time and questioned the build of the field. While I have no control over the score nor the rulings given by Lisa, I was brought into the conversation because I am in charge of the field (to include setup and breakdown.) I simply told him it was build to standard and that he was the only one that had popped balls over the wall. I would have offered him more suggestions toward not doing it again if it weren't for his really poor attitude and lack of GP while talking to me.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

As far as a rule goes ... here you go (emphisis mine):

... and Yeah, I heard he did it again. Just goes to show that not everyone learns the first time through. :D

Oh, and in case nobodys done it recently, Thank you for volunteering. Without the volunteers FIRST couldn't exist, nevermind inspire the next generation of problem solvers.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thank you everyone for the kind words! 122 worked really hard all season (and the 12 prior) to be able to win our first ever RCA.

1676, 1086, and 1418: Congratulations on the win! You had some very good robots out there.

1086: Can't wait to see your team again in NC (and Atlanta.)

617, 346, and 1895: You were a great alliance. I know my team will remember those semi-finals for a long time. Your win was hard earned and well deserved.

To all the volunteers: The tournament was amazing! The field issues were dealt with accordingly and the teams kept informed of the problems.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Wish we could have figured it out. No one on our team is to happy about the way those semi-finals went down. I am sure our alliance members weren't too happy about it either. It would have been fun competing against you guys and had our robot been running we would have given you a run for your money. :)

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Team 75 had a great time this past weekend. All the volunteers were great and welcoming. In my four years of first i never seen a better team of volunteers, i watched as they went out of their way to help teams that had communications issues and help resolve their problems and re take the field. Kyle the FTAA was a great help and he would go out of his way to insure that every team was able to communicate with the field. The team social was allot of fun and provide a great opportunity to hang out with not only our team but the other teams as well. The whole event was well organized especially the inspection process and i would suggest that other events model themselves off of Virginia. I would predict that our team will return next year.

Matthew Simpson
Team 75 Vice president of Technical

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

I felt truly awful as I looked up at the scoreboard and saw a 44 point penalty assessed against them. How rough! It was almost graceful, though, the way the ball hopped perfectly over the sensor. For a brief moment there, I could have sworn it was going to land back on the railing and travel down anyway, as if to display the human player's incredible trident skill or something.

Also, I didn't get to say much to you, Matt, but it was great to get to see you again. I already had serious respect for you after the FLL regional in Richmond, but the way you handled VCU was brilliant - you had numerous awful situations to deal with and did a great job keeping things afloat despite it all. I hope to see you again at other regionals!

Lisa Evans gave me a rundown on this and had me make announcements about it every now and again. I don't think I gave a proper explanation, so allow me to do so now:

According to the FTA and Head Referee, the score counting backwards was an automatically assessed penalty for balls (or hands/arms or something) being pushed backwards through the goal sensor. Evidently not only does the field management system not give you the point for scoring should a ball go back through the sensor, but it also counts backwards - a one point penalty. Hopefully that helps a bit.

There were a lot of strange hiccups at the Virginia competition that I am not used to, even after five years of FRC, but that's all a part of the experience I guess - rising from maximum strangeness is what we can all pride ourselves in. For those of you who did not have the opportunity to see FTA Glen on the phone with the creator of the field management system trying to bring everything back to life, that man provided so many answers to my infinite questions through mere facial expressions as he talked and pressed buttons. I really must give him my thanks. So many people in the stands were probably frustrated if not furious at the situation, but despite it all there was Glen who managed to stay calm throughout everything. I am also proud to say that after three years of FLL volunteering, this was my first FRC event as a volunteer and I had an amazing time. Every team that took the field and every student I got to talk to made my day over and over. The ability of the FIRST teams and students at VCU to hold together and stay cooperative despite the setbacks really proves the value of the camaraderie that exists between FIRST folk from all over.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Yes, it was mildly frustrating, but I can't say anyone was even mildly angry (much less furious): It was plainly obvious how hard the field tech folks were working to bring the field back to life. Like seeing a way-overworked waitress, how can you do anything but sympathize (and give thanks it isn't you)?

Someone else said it: The volunteers at Virginia last weekend were the best of the best. :)

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Not going to lie, the regional was mentally tough. Our build manager wanted me to coach for most of the day one matches, and I'm sure there was at least a 10 minute stoppage of competition at least 3 of those times. The last match we were in had us queued up and waiting for 40 minutes. I was sweating from nerves and the building conditions, thirsty from waiting so long in the heat, and upset that I felt deserted by the volunteers. It was really tough to get through. When I get home around 11 though, I thought about how the FTA and all of the Field Volunteers had to WORK through the darkness of the frazzled FMS. It was understandable. They could have just given up all together, but they didn't. Thanks.

Also, the guys from Jersey or any Week one regional can tell you that a 44-point penalty is small. i remember match one in Trenton had somewhere around 70 or 90 points in penalties, and two matches Team 422 played in assessed 20 and 40 penalties, resulting in some 4-0 and 12-10 to become 0-0 and 0-10 matches. Glad TU16 fixed some of that.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thank you from Synergy 975

We had a blast this weekend and it is in no small part due to the following...

1731 and 1908: Thanks for being great alliance partners! It was a pleasure to compete along side you guys! We'll get 'em next time!

1676: Thanks for all the help this weekend. You guys are a real inspiration and a pleasure to get to know. We'll be pulling for you guys in Atlanta. Best of luck!

2363: Congratulations on the Motorola Quality Award! You guys are a great team and continue to impress! You guys have come so far in such a short time! Always a pleasure.

1571: You guys are a class act. Top to bottom. Thank you for the battery support in the elimination round. Also, you guys "quietly" add another two trophies to the case... congrats on Imagery and Safety (again!) this year! And of course Brian, Dean's List finalist. Go Midlo!

346, 617, and 1895: Thanks for a great quarterfinal round. It was great to play against (and nearly get the better of) you guys. Glad to see you guys fight your way into the finals in an incredible way. 346: Congrats on the Engineering Excellence Award! Go RoboHawks!

3136: Very, very impressed. Would never guess you guys were rookies. Was a pleasure to play with you guys in qualifying. Looking forward to see you guys grow!

1086: Again you guys represent the competitive gold standard by which we judge our progress. Congratulations on another great Regional and best of luck in Atlanta! Hope you guys continue to take your game to the next level.

Thank you to everyone (all the volunteers, judges, refs, field crew) who made this a great Regional! Can't wait to see everyone back next year!

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

First off, the volunteers, referees, and FIRST officials did a great job this year, especially dealing with all the field issues. They were there to help us every step of the way, including getting our robot inspected during the opening ceremonies ><. Although things did not go as we hoped this year (our bot faltered due to various minor issues), the entire Regional served as a huge learning experience for us.

I would like to congratulate teams 1676, 1418, and 1086 for the huge win! All of you guys deserve it! It seemed to be the perfect alliance, each robot complemented one another.

Also, teams 1895, 617, and 346 also did an amazing job! Going from the 7th seed all the way to Regional finalists is no easy task!

Team 122!! You guys are amazing. You were there whenever we needed anything and serve as the epitome of gracious professionalism and coopertition. Y'all deserved it!

Mr. Clarke from 1086: Congrats again on the WFFA!! After seeing your various interactions with our team and others, you no doubt deserved the award.

Special shout out to:

Team 3168. You guys kept our spirits up throughout competition, helped us whenever we needed it. Congratulations again on the Rookie All Star!! I can't wait to see all of you guys at worlds!! Love you Mama Tree!!!

Teams 75, 2108, 1137, 617: Thanks for all of your help with our Robot during the Regional. Whether it was our programming, mechanical issues, or tools that we needed, all of you guys were there to help us out! Thanks.

I'm sure I left out a bunch of teams that helped us, so thanks everyone!!! You really made this Regionals great!! We could not have got our bot up and running for Worlds without you!

See you soon!
TALON 540

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Vell, greetings from the German kid and thank you very much for helping us with our issue, the 3.142oneers are a truly great team.

best regards Kevin

ps: I guess I will remember all my life long to keep that metal dust away from the circuit board.

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Congratulations to all of the teams that attended the regional because everybody played very well out there. And it was an honor to be there with all those great teams. Cya next year
:]

Re: 2010 NASA/VCU regional!!!
 

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I was wondering though, as a driver you enter a zen mode when you are driving and you kind of ignore all else. I heard that the last matches between us and the number one alliance were spectacular and I wish to see them from someplace thats not behind plastic. Did anyone get the video from the field or the uplink that was offered?