2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Only a couple of weeks left until we meet again in Hartford! The planning committee's been hard at work... and we're looking forward to seeing everyone. Hope you're signing up for the Team Social at the Downtown Marriott Hotel and Connecticut Science Center - tickets are limited and available first-come, first-served per the instructions sent to the team leaders this week.
All the details for the regional, including the very important load-in instructions, can be found on our website, www.ctfirst.org

So... Who's coming to Connecticut??? :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team 230 will be there!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I'll be swinging by! Hope to see some great competition :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I'll probably be at WPI++ this year :)

I wonder how a regional like this will play out. Half the teams all know each other from WPI, yet some other powerhouses like 40 and 175 come into the picture.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

team 571 is always there... and chris... from what i saw at BAE, 175 is not as good as previous years... they have alot of trouble hanging consistently

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Chris, that often happens at the Connecticut Regional, and I'm sure it's not the only place. A lot of the New England-area teams have known each other for a long time and practice together, work together at off-seasons and other competitions (like BAE, WPI, etc.). It's always a very exciting and competitive regional because of this. I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience!

I'll be there on Friday and Saturday to visit 1124 and others. :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

The GRUNTS Team #3146, from Granby CT, are looking forward to being there for our first official competition. We have alot of work to do on Thursday though as we shipped our chassis, but have several attachments to add to it.

Merle Yoder
GRUNTS Team #3146

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

StuyPulse is coming back and we had a blast last year. I'm looking forward to having a great time at what is the loudest regional I have ever been to.

Can I get any details on the team social such as what exactly it is going to be and at what time?

Can't wait to get back to competition.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Aces High will be back again, as usual. We're working on a more exciting pit display than usual...oh and we're working on that robot thing as well :p

See you all in a few weeks.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Rosie's coming.........and stronger than we were at WPI.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Important information for teams can be found here: http://www.ctfirst.org/first-ct-prog...l-ForTeams.cfm
We expect to be providing load-in/load-out details soon (we just need to finalize some details.)

Information about the Team Social can be found here: http://www.ctfirst.org/first-ct-prog...TeamSocial.cfm

All this (and more) has been sent to the main and alternate team contacts.

See you in CT!
-mike

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Let's see....

55 awesome teams
+ 3 of the best/most intense days of my life two years in a row
+ 30 minutes away
+ 100's of friends I can't wait to see again from other teams

Add it up and you get....

Well it may not equal 1124, but the numbers don't lie- you'll be seeing us there, excited as ever :D

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team Max will be there. Definitely excited about the event and the party. Nice job Kathie and Michael for pulling it all together. It is nice to have a social again

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team 571 will be there

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I just noticed a typo on the Team Social page of our website (http://www.ctfirst.org/first-ct-prog...TeamSocial.cfm).

The team social will run:
5:30p-6:30p Dinner
6:30p-8:30p Connecticut Science Center private access

We will update the site this evening...
Sorry for any confusion.

thanks
-mike

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Thanks for the thanks... But it was a much larger team that myself and Kathie for making this happen (including great support from our friends at the Connecticut Science Center and the Downtown Hartford Marriott). You can meet the entire Regional Planning Committee next week at the Regional.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I wouldn't count Buzz out. We performed horribly at the BAE, and using the time between regionals and the lovely witholding allowance, we completely redesigned our arm and hung in 8 of 12 seeding matches in St Louis and made it to the Semifinals. Buzz is also a veteran team with excellent leadership and drive. To think they've sat on their duffs for 3 weeks is ... insane :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

The Enforcers (Team 178) will be there yet again. Let's hope we do as well in Hartford as we did at the Suffield Shakedown Scrimmage!

What is everyone else doing with their jackets/bags? We usually have anywhere between 40 and 50 people associated with our team at the competition, including students, teachers, parents, and mentors. We're worried about having to keep everything in the pit area as suggested by a previous email. It would be a major safety hazard for us! Just wondering how other teams are going to be dealing with this.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

We do not have room in our pits for jackets either

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I'm not the team's contact, so I'm not familiar with the email, but we can't keep bags and jackets and stuff in the stands?

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I think that because of the rather limited seating, they would prefer that you didn't. Just my guess

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

That's correct. CT FIRST has requested that all teams do not leave any jackets, bags, or other materials in the stands in order to accommodate all spectators.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I'd love to do that, if we could have more than 10 feet by 10 feet for the entirety of a 20 person team's stuff on top of our normal pit setups.

Any chance that the venue could set up spots for stuff out of the stands? I'm guessing not, but if it turns out there's some giant closet somewhere, this could be a breeze for everyone. :) If not, we'll make do.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Like Joe said, Team 694 is psyched to go to Connecticut for a second year in a row.
We're also going to be running our second regional Can Drive out of our pit area, with all proceeds going to City Harvest. Please drop by our pit to check out our robot and donate!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I doubt it would be too terribly difficult. The Convention Center is HUGE. There's a lot of extra space, especially given the set up of the building. Maybe if CT FIRST doesn't formally set it up there could be some unofficial bag check area?

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

The born and bred New Englander in me just says leave your coat in your car/bus and just walk the 60 seconds outside between the parking garage and the convention center. Chances are the weather will be in the 50s/60s anyway, so it's not like it'll be cold.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Sadly the bus doesn't stay all day for us, so we have to bring it :( The one disadvantage of living 20 minutes from Hartford

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

In the past one of the Teams I worked with (1493 I believe but it might have been a different one) kept all of their coats under the stands. Just bring giant trash bags or Rubbermaid totes and keep the jackets in them under the stands, just make sure you label them with your Team info, and a contact phone number in case they need to be moved.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

So did anyone notice the massive influx of super competitive teams?

1501, 1574, and 222 are all entering the Connecticut Regional. 1501 has one of the highest Seeding Point totals in the country, 1574 is easily the best team outside of the US or Canada, and 222 is on the heels of a season with Einstein appearance and IRI Finalist award. Add that to who was already going to be here and you're set for a dense regional.

Predictions coming up...

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Chris, I'm not surprised. Connecticut has always been a very competitive regional, it often draws a few teams from outside the local area for this reason.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

+1, Chris. Just looking at the past 4 weeks and the amount of previous regional winners coming to CT this year is pretty frightening. 176, 228, 230, 694, 1073, etc, as well as a handful of finalists and semi finalists.

Connecticut should be more competitive than ever, especially being a week 5 event :yikes:

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Very true. I'm just surprised that all 3 of these teams signed up within the last 48 hours, adding even more depth.

So just for fun, I thought I'd do my normal predictions-type post for this event. It's certainly a rather deep event. Then again, I said WPI wasn't a shallow event...

Speaking of WPI, a large percentage of the teams have already played with each other and will likely have the advantage of experience and information. The dynamic of this regional essentially acting as "WPI++" for these teams will create very interesting dynamics, with teams possibly biased toward or against teams they've previously worked with before in the eliminations.

Now, for predictions: 230 won WPI in rather convincing fashion. Their robot is far from perfect, but with a triple autonomous, plus a few balls in teleop and hanging ability, they were able to clearly pull through. They've demonstrated that a robot running an accurate back autonomous will have an insurmountable leg up over an alliance with poor autonomy. Their strength is that their damage is dealt mostly before defense can be applied, relying on scoring in the periods with reduced defense. They'll seed in the Top 8, and will have the most options of any alliance captain for partners, so they should go very far at CT.

40 and 126 both performed well at BAE, losing in the semis to the winning alliance. To be honest, I don't know much about their robots, but they've always improved throughout the season, so one of them should repeat their semifinals appearance at least. As for other good robots I don't know much about, 694 won New York City, and they look to do the same in CT.

Want to get to Einstein? Pick the Bobcats. 177 is the most consistent team in FIRST, and their preship video and strong scrimmage performance shows this is no off year for them. They know how to win in the eliminations when it counts, and this year they've shown off another impressive robot. The only question marks regarding their performance at CT would be that they haven't touched the field since before ship, so they may need some time to get in the groove. Despite this, going deep in the eliminations is a given.

176 won the DC regional all the way back in Week 1, so they too have to deal with a very evolved game in order to succeed. Aces High certainly has some cards up their sleeve, though, so watch out for them.

A wave of teams trying for a second shot at a Championship bid have signed up for the Connecticut Regional, hoping to take the event. 1501 has possibly their best robot ever, fielding a simple three wheeled demon that secured the #1 seed at Boilermaker. A repeat of that is a possibility. 1574 is the best team from outside of the US or Canada, yet they have been unable to field their robot more than a few times this year. CT could give their team a chance for redemption. 222 performed as they often do at Pittsburgh, with a solid, gritty robot. While never the flashiest, 222 is solid once again this year.

2791 is going to suck. They won't be able to fix their bump issues, nor will they be able to side hang. Their reliable near autonomous that saved them in WPI will go away for no apparent reason, and a mid autonomous will not appear. They don't have an awesome driver. I suspect they'll do nothing better than last place.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

That is probably the loudest i have ever laughed from a CD post... have some confidence man! :D

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Thanks for all the kind words Chris.
We didn't become first seed all by ourselves. We had help and we hope the teams at CT can help us maybe do it again.
You're right about trying to get into the Chanpionships at Atlanta.
We would also like to see teams from UTC and BAE as we are sponsored by UT Electronic Controls in Huntington, IN and BAE from Fort Wayne, IN.
I will not be able to go though :( as I don't have enough vacation saved up.
I hope everyone will greet us like long lost friends.
Good luck to all.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Thanks for the kind words Chris. We realize our problems, but we have focused on improving the parts of the game we are good at. Our autonomous is better than ever, we now can score 3 consistantly (I hope..) and we drive over the bump and we kick a fourth ball! We have been traing our dive team to not get pushed around so much. We also may be adding a ball magnet b/c we now have some weight.

This competition is going to be a lot of fun! Hope to see all the teams there!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I hope Chris was visiting opposite world while composing this last prediction, :ahh:

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

You'd rather I jinx us by predicting favorably? :eek:

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Thanks for the kind words Chris. 222 is definitely excited about making our first trip to the CT regional. We can't wait to see how things turn out with such deep field. Hopefully we will have our machine 100% as we found many of our bugs at Pittsburgh and are looking to improve a thing or two. Most of all we'll be glad to see some old friends and make a bunch of new ones. Feel free to stop by our pit and say hello to the crew.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Love the reverse jinx.

Just so you know we have 17 veteran teams who have yet to hit the field this season competing at Hartford this year competing at Hartford. This could lead to some big week 5 surprises of teams who retooled their robots based on what they saw in 4 weeks of competition. I can't wait to see what we have this year.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Don't forget the team 383 "The Brazilian Machine". They were very effective at Boston last week and only lost in the Finals by a total of 2 points (and one point was a penalty for an out-of-bounds human player).:ahh:

According to TBA their record at Boston was 11-2-2.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I understand that there is a Saturday gathering for FIRST alumni that will feature, among other things, PRIZES. I think they're somewhat beyond Easter eggs too.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I cannot wait for CT. This is the Big Kahuna of New England events each year and is only getting better. Very psyched to see teams making the trip out here from so many different regions.

As for the robots to look out for? 230 is a given with the auto they have. 177 just knows how to win. 126 has the best hanger I have seen yet. And oh by the way...look out for 383 fresh off of Boston. They are pretty darn good. Just watched the video of 1501 also, you might want to watch them too!

Of course...the beauty of the CT Regional? Anything can and probably will happen.

See ya this weekend!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I have some people pegged I wanna meet. Like KathieK from NEMO and a few others that I have looked up to in either advice, documents they have posted and help. Thanks to all you Connecticut mentors for helping us in the midwest model from your veteran teams.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

from the ctfirst website:

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I am beyond excited for CT. Stop by the volunteer table or say hi to me as I run around like an idiot. :) I cant wait to see everyone again!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Hi Jessica

I won't be at CT :( but my team will be.
I know you will make them feel welcomed. You can go ahead and hit Chris with a clipboard :D

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I hope you're serious because she will. :ahh:

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

40 Hours and counting...:D

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team 1501 just came in to the AndyMark store today to stock up on a few parts, preparing them for their trip out east. I told them to not whoop up on you nice New Englanders too much, even though you have poor taste in football teams. :)

1501 was the class of the Boilermaker Regional, as they earned the #1 seed. It was very surprising to see them upset in the semi-finals. I'll be excited to see how they do in Hartford.

Have fun!

Sincerely,
Andy B.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Can you send the parts we just ordered with them?

Seriously though, I'm glad to see them coming to Hartford, because after meeting some of them at IRI a few years ago I was very impressed and wanted to have the chance to compete with them. I'm also glad to see that the current pit arrangement has them next to us so we have a chance to chat.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

If we would have known before we got back from Kokomo, it wouldnt have been a problem :)

But it will be an awesome experience I'm sure! Anybody who wants to stop by our pit, feel free to! We will be more than happy to give a tour of our robot, take pictures, talk strategy, lend a hand, or just meet new friends! It will be a new experience for us strangers from the midwest!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Looking Forward to getting up there tomorrow. It's gonna be really awesome.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

We're looking forward to seeing all our old friends and meeting new ones! Please stop bythe FIRST Info Booth and say hi!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Good luck to the EWCP teams attending as well as our other friends =)

Show them what you've got 2791 and 1501.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team 241 had an AMAZING time at the UTC Regional, and still can't believe we ended our seven year dry spell and took home the imagery award. Congratulations to all the other winning teams, and we would like to thank all the people that cheered for us and came and "Partied With The Astro-Men". And an even bigger thank you to all the people that put up with us taking up alot of space in the isle :yikes:


And for the people that enjoyed partying with the Astro Men

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Partyi...?v=info&ref=ts

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

3146 had a great time! We will definitely be back next year.

One thing I need to clear up, not to seem like I don't pay attention, but did Pirates of the Pythagorean originally get DQ'd? Some people got the word out that they did... I'm not sure if that really means anything in terms of if they can get an award or not, but I'm just wondering.. some stuff went on that was a little weird and could have gone better in my opinion as well.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Team 3125 did receive a Red Card and was disqualified for only the match it occured in. That means that we did not receive any seeding points for that match. Red cards do not disqualify you from receiving awards.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Define "DQed". Red cards don't make you ineligible for awards. 3125 did win Rookie All Star previously at WPI. That alone doesn't make you exempt from winning it again, by the letter of the rules.

My uber long thank you congrats etc post is coming up, I need a day to write it.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

176 Aces High had a great time at the CT Regional. The robot had some coding issues throughout Friday, but we got it running the way we liked by the end of the day and went on to play an enjoyable last few rounds.

We'd like to say thanks to all of the many teams who came by and encouraged us, as well as offered advice and knowledge between rounds. Our team would also like to thank all of our mentors for supporting us throughout the season so far, and especially our Woodie Flowers Award winner this year, Mr. Pease!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I have known Bill for many years now and can think of few more deserving mentors for the WFA. Congratulations Bill!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Aww, and I was totally hoping I'd get to see 1501's bot in Atlanta...

Congrats to the winning alliance!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

1501 had one of the coolest bots there... the fact that if a ball was stuck on the wall in the tunnel, they can go under the tunnel turn sideways and grab the ball... congrats teams 1124, 383, and 102 on your win... and congrats to team 694 on your chairmans award... it was an awesome competition and good luck to everyone who is going to Atlanta

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

It was a tossup between 1501's and 383's machinery for the most intriguing for me. I was disappointed to see them against each other in the final matches, since only one could win. I think the design judges had quite a few machines from which to choose. 303's machine was pretty cool too. It's hard to contemplate spending so much time on such a project this soon after having already spent a great deal of time to much lesser effect. Maybe CAD will help.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

what i thought was awesome about Brazil was that they had a suspension system on their bot\

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I just want to say thanks to the good folks on team 303 for picking us to be part of your alliance. You had a great bot, and you certainly held your own againt 1501. And it was great to play with our friends on Apple Pi. All three teams worked extremely well together and played tough against an alliance that ended up as regional finalist, losing by only one point in each quarterfinal match. Congratulations to the winning alliance, teams 1124, 383 and 102, to to 694 for its regional Chairman's Award. And special congrats to Bill Pease for winning the Woodie Flowers Award, an honor long overdue, and to our friend Emily Spoldi from team 230 for being a Dean's List finalist! We've worked with Emily for the past two years, as our teams scout together, and she is well deserving of this award.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

1124, the UberBots had an amazing time at Hartford. I'll save my thank yous for my super long post in the right section. But seriously, everyone's bot was amazing, and I'm glad to had have the privilege to be a part of the tournament.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

you guys have an awesome cheering section/dance team, which of course made my job difficult(I was doing crown control near your seats). I just wanted to thank you guys for listening to me whenever I asked you to move back a little. I had a couple people I had to keep talking to all weekend, but overall it was not bad at all. I just wanted you guys to know that I notice when teams do everything they can to make my job easier... so thank you!


I was also an inspector on Thursday and Friday morning. Overall, it went pretty well. By the end of Thursday, most of the teams had completed inspection which is great. We had a couple stragglers as well as many of the rookie teams that were having issues(understandably), but the teams I inspected didn't really have many major issues and were all fun to talk to.

For all teams going to championships, look for me! I'll probably be inspecting Wednesday evening and doing something else for the rest of the weekend(haven't actually registered in VIMS yet... whoops? lol)

This weekend proves that the CT(NU) regional is the best! Congrats to the winners and good luck to all at Champs!

-Eric

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

As did 303's. Apparently a mecanum setup benefits greatly from an independent suspension which can keep each wheel in optimal contact with the carpet. Now getting a swerve system with independent suspension would be a much neater trick.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Ubers were Totally uberawesome! As were so many of the teams in attendance. It was only my second regional, and a little more than a year with the Litchbots, and I'm completly lit-up by the excitement and dedication of so many inspirational people- old and young. We all had a great time and look forward to many more competitions in the future. Best of luck to everyone going to Altalnta!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I'm glad I was able to make it back to my home regional again this year. As always, I had a great time at the Connecticut Regional! I enjoyed seeing many of my old friends and making some new ones. CT FIRST is truly an amazing community, and we are lucky to have such a great pool of volunteers, mentors, and teams. The regional as a whole and the teams and robots at it were both extremely high-quality. Also, thanks to all who put on the CTFAN lunch- I'm looking forward to the future events.

Finally, congratulations to all who received awards- they were all very well-deserved. I was especially excited to see 383 win the regional after coming so close in Boston- you guys have a fantastic bot!

Good luck to all teams in Atlanta- I'll be watching you on the webcast!

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I had another great time at Hartford this year. The caliber of teams made the regional so very exciting and it had a nationals fee with all the great features of a regional competition.

Congratulations to 1124, 383 and 102 you guys were great all weekend and deserved the win.

Thank you to 175, 178, and 237. 175 you guys had an awesome robot and it was fun finally getting the chance to play with you guys after years of admiring your team. 178 you played extremely well in qualification matches and when you didn't have technical issues in eliminations, as I learned last year sometimes luck just isn't on your side. 237 you guys came in and played great defense, its just too bad our alliance was short lived. I look forward to seeing all of you guys again at nationals.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Yes, a big congrats to the regional winners 1124, 383, and 102. Also a congratulatory shoutout to the finalists 1501, 230, and 61.

Thank you to 694 Stuypulse and 178 Enforcers for being our alliance members. Both your robots were excellent and Buzz is glad to have been allied with you.

Jblay, it is an honor to be part of a team that is admired by another great. Though we didn't win the regional, nor make the finals, we all went home with a win.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

If you are going to the Championships, check out 236's pit. They have one of the four swerve pods on display, and you will be amazed with it. It has your criteria (independent suspension), as well as a shiftable two speed transmission, and each "pod" drops out of the bottom of the robot without the steering system getting unaligned. I will write up a description of the system with pictures sometime later as well if you are further interested.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I saw the model in their pit this year. It is rather awesome and worth checking out.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I personally wish that I got a chance to see the brain-computer-interface that 1124 was using to drive their robot so gracefully. That machine looked like it was a living animal, it did everything just right.

Hats off to the Überbots drive team.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

After sifting through 800+ photos I took at the competition, I've picked out my favorite 200 and uploaded them to Flickr. Most are centered around Team Beta, but there are plenty of other shots too.

With so many excellent teams, and so many awesome robots, I knew long before this weekend the Connecticut Regional was going to be one for the ages. When all was said and done, the level of competition had gone far beyond anything I could have hoped for. Every team gave it their all in every match. There were no 0-0 matches all weekend. It was really an incredible experience, and one that convinced me of how good of a game Breakaway really is.

The first quarterfinal match (383, 1124, 102 vs. 238, 1071, 533) was 16-10, in an exciting match that went back and forth until the last 20 seconds, when Red broke away, with the Überbots cleaning up their near zone while 383 rolled up the tower for an extra 2 points.



2836 had a nail biting set of exciting elimination matches as well, thanks to partners 1073 and 228. The scores stayed close until the end, with hanging points deciding most of the matches, despite some technical difficulties with 1073. Going head to head with such legendary teams as 126, 40, and 839 was an experience we'll never forget, as myself and Mike Mullinax (from 126) watched and talked about it from the side of the field. In the end the stronger alliance prevailed, but not before putting on a heck of a show.

This was overall one of the best times I've had at a regional in the 11 years I've been involved with FIRST. 383 had such a fantastic machine with incredibly skilled drivers, and it's amazing how much difference a short length of bike tire tubing makes wrapped around the climbing roller. Without it in Boston, the climbing arm didn't work. With it in Hartford, it worked every single match. 1124's drivers really made it look like the robot was an extension of themselves. It responded quickly, moved so fast defenders couldn't keep up, and managed to control balls like they were part of the robot. And with 102's smothering defense, keeping balls out of their far zone, holding opposing robots at bay, it's a wonder you lasted long enough in the draft to be a 2nd pick by the first seeded alliance. Congrats also to 694 on winning the Regional Chairmans Award, and Mr. Pease of 176 on a well deserved Woodie Flowers Finalist award.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

I must agree with the general sentiment that this was one of the best regionals that I have ever attended... it was very exciting and competitive until the very end.

It was especially exciting to spend time working with Team 383, the Brazilian Machine. It is so great that the FIRST community is international allowing teams to meet and work with others from around the world... what a great experience. Although we were unable to work together in the eliminations and ended up losing to their alliance in the finals, I was very happy to see them get their blue banner... they were truly deserving. What an amazing team and what an amazing bot! We hope to see you back in CT again very soon.

I am also curious if anyone has video of the amazing shot that our team made in a qualification match on Friday (I think it was match 33) where we shot a ball diagonally across the field across both bumps and into the goal! It was a truly epic shot and I would love to be able to see it again. Thanks.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Heh.

One of my friends is a Buzz alum and he kept telling me for about a month before the regional how great and competitive CT is, and I didn't believe him. Whoops! Turns out CT is one of the most intense, stacked regionals in the country, in case you couldn't tell by the team list. When you see the #8 alliance putting up 10 points as a losing score versus the #1 alliance (outside of Michigan) you know that it's an intense event.

Congrats to 1124, 383, and 102! Glad to see 1124's continuous improvement throughout the season, clearly they've got plenty of practice since WPI (and they weren't bad there, either). Thanks for all the support and we're all glad to see you guys walk away yet again with a blue banner in hand. 383 was the real deal, and thanks for setting the qualification high score with us! That was so much fun. 102 really turned it up a notch as time went on.

Thursday was "fun" for 2791 once again, as the new student designed (read: not my fault :P) arm was too heavy to even dream of putting on the robot. We were ready to go fairly early in the day and got some good practice going, getting into the groove of being a frontbot rather than the feeder bot we'd designed around. Thursday night, we made a key decision to add another impeller to the robot. After buying the cheapest shop vac I could find out of my own pocket, we took it apart and planned to use a 3 hour break between our third and fourth qual match.

Luckily, though, we didn't have to do too much complex work, thanks to 571's insane generosity and gracious professionalism. Their team gave us their assembled spare vacuum, then helped us add a 90 degree bend to it to fit in our frame. After that, we were rushing to get it all done and ready for a match when 571 wired the new FP up for us, allowing us to make a match. They definitely earned the Gracious Professionalism award at this event! Thanks guys for all your help and inspiration. We've all studied your awesome Anderson based electronics board and hopefully we'll be doing something like that in the future.

Thanks to some skillful driving and awesome luck, we made it all the way to the 7th seed and 5th alliance captain, again. Thanks 177 and 173 for being a great alliance. RAGE's last second hangs and successful back autonomous mode made them a steal at the 12th pick of the draft. Right off the bat my team and I were very impressed with 177 as a whole. Between their coach and strategy captain, it was pretty obvious why these guys ended up on Einstein every year for four years running. You guys were some of the smartest people I've ever worked with, and we always seemed to be on the same page even before we talked about the next match. I'm glad we had the same strategy plans over and over again, including the key strategy that got a few inches and a possibly broken goal counter away from a one match upset (We needed both, so no harm done). 177's willingness to sub themselves out for 236 was commendable, even though we ended up sticking with you guys. Maybe if the entire alliance didn't have the worst luck regarding durability I've ever heard of we'd have a blue banner to our names, but either way it was an amazing, fun experience. (RAGE got hung up on a ball, then their ratchet failed, then 177's drivetrain blew apart, then their hook got twisted, all of this as 2791's suction wasn't quite up to snuff) Thanks for inspiring my students.

Steven Greco from 2079 is the coolest kid EVER. Thanks so much for coming up and doing some hardcore scouting with us; you're an awesome friend and I hope we'll work with you in the future. Enjoy the Shaker shirt. I can say similar nice things about Eric from 3125, Kelsey from 1124, the list goes on. I hope I got the chance to personally thank all of you guys for everything.

This event here ends 2791's regular season, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this year's robot and team so successful. I think these kids get it. Continuous improvement and hard work got them to the Top 8 at one of the country's hardest events. The drive, effort, and dedication of these students to all of their jobs was amazing, and everyone from Shaker should be proud of this season. Only for a minute, though, because if we really want to continuously improve, we're going to need to fundraise, demonstrate, and find sponsors. Let's get to it.

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Alright, time for the UberPost :P

Wow. Just wow. I really am having a hard time finding another word that could explain the feelings I experienced at CT this year. I knew from past experience that it was an intense competition. However, and maybe it was just due to my role this year and how it was more involved than in previous years, but it seemed to be a lot crazier and action-packed than the past two years. Thanks to everyone for their congratulations. It really feels amazing, and I’m glad we were a part of it.

Thank you so much to 102 and 383! It was so much fun working with you guys. Whether it was talking to your mentors in the hall on Thursday about high school sports, to learning new phrases in Portuguese, to posing for the fifty million cameras which made figuring out where to look difficult, every memory I have about either of your teams were fun and enjoyable. Even if some involved races against the clock to fix some last minute errors, they were still fun in the end. Both robots performed amazingly, awesome job guys. (And to 383, I really hope we helped make your American experience a great one)

2682 and 3014, I’m not sure if any students from either team are on CD, but my heart goes out to both of you. I’m not sure which school I’d be at if I still lived in Stamford, but seeing you guys at these events is always up there in the top three things I look forward to. I really do miss Stamford so much, and love how FIRST has spread there. Adam and Hayley, I hope you two can stay at my house again next year (you can’t deny that 1124 bus rides are just too fun), and I’m looking forward to the other 483023 times I know I’ll see you guys again. As for you David, I need a time to stop by AITE. True story. Let me know when that can get worked out. I loved your robot and would love to help your team in the future. Which, speaking of, other teams should too. Both Stamford teams are having some issues and could really use all the support they can get. PM me for details (SHAMELESS PLUG)

Next, 195. What can I say here? We’ve worked well with your team so many times in the past, and no doubt so many times in the future. Everyone on your team is always nice, fun, and ready to help out. I’m sad we didn’t get a chance to have a playdate on your field, but consider this my one year RSVP for next year. Maybe even a little get together before Wolcott if you go?

2791. We worked with you guys in WPI, and I talked some more with a few of your members this time. You guys are just so chill, it’s great. Talking to your team was great help even during my most stressed times. Although we were against each other towards the end, you didn’t make it awkward to talk even after. I was glad that, though it all, your team was really able to embrace what it means to be a gracious professional. Your grandmothers would have be proud. Lizzy, I hope you enjoy the hat, you looked awesome in it. And Chris, I know I’ve told you this before, but I’m still amazed by your abilities as a strategist; especially in our semi final matches against your alliance. Your ideas were brilliant, and certainly not what we expected. Then again, after talking strategy with you at WPI, I can’t really say that I was totally blown over. I should’ve known you’d have a few tricks up your sleeve.

176. As always, you guys make every event something to remember. The friendships I’ve made with your members are some of my closest, and that’s no exaggeration. No matter what aggravations the day presented, I knew I could turn to you guys for a laugh (the fact that James and Eric painted 11 and 24 on their chests made my week, no lie). Also, a huge congratulations to Mr. Pease. I’ve only talked to him for a short period of time, but even from that I could tell it was well deserved. He’s a great man, you guys are lucky to have him.

Last, but not least, 1501. I can only imagine what your team went through to compete here with such short notice. All the way from Indiana! I hope it wasn’t too too much trouble, because I would love to see you all again here next year. Not only was your robot extremely innovative and successful, but your team has some of the nicest people. Every time I stopped by your pit to scout or just talk, I left with a smile. My only regret is that I missed the chance to grab a wing pin. Maybe if I go to IRI.

Congratulations to any and all teams/people I didn’t mention. I hope to see you all in Atlanta. If not, thanks for making this year’s regional my favorite ever. Although, now’s the real time to stay alert and sharp. This next week is what it’s all about. Let’s give it our all, FIRST won’t want any less. :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

To be completely fair, the game plan for SF1-1 (mainly the emphasis on starving 383 and ignoring 1124, with 177 pushing balls away and hanging) was a joint effort by the entire alliance. 177's strategist and I basically had the exact same idea at the exact same time for that.

I certainly enjoyed just bumping into you and talking about your next matchups. Let's do that some more, eh? :)

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

If you attended the social event and went to see the CT Science Center, you might want to take a look at the pictures I just posted to flickr and the CTFirst group. here You'll have to do a bit of navigation to see the rest of the group though. ;) If you recognize people in the pictures, do not comment with full names - I'll have to remove them. PM me if you need higher resolution copies. Notice will eventually be made on ctfirst's facebook, if I remember my password. :D

Re: 2010 Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional
 

Bit of a bump, I know, but does anyone have any CT footage of 2791?

Some students are trying to make some videos to promote the team at Shaker High School. Unfortunately, most of our footage looks like this.