Re: 2011 Lesson Learned :The Positive
 

Having posted in the "negatives" thread, I think it only fair to post in this thread as well. I'll go roughly in chronological order.

- Roomy pit: As a pit worker, I appreciated that the pit was bigger than our pit at either the Palmetto or the Virginia Regionals. Maybe we were just better organized, but it was much easier to do work in St. Louis.
- Pit location: This isn't a lesson learned, but was a positive for our team. Our pit was steps away from both the bathroom and the food stand behind the Curie bleachers. The commute to the Curie field was a breeze, and was only 7 minutes or so from the dome.
- Great atmosphere: Also not a lesson learned, but as this was our first trip to the Championship, one positive aspect was the shear number of teams from all the different leagues all having a great time.
- Roboprom: Nearly all our kids attended, and had a great time. Also set this event apart from a Regional.
- Friday concert: The kids loved it. It was a great reward for reaching the Championships. It wasn't perfect, but I've never been to a concert which was. The important thing was that the kids came away happy and energized. (Also a highlight of the concert was the Miley Cyrus video clip that every kid in the stadium boo'd. Just a reminder to the FIRST powers-that-be that teenagers decide for themselves what is cool.)
- The FIRST store: There should be at least a small store at every Regional.
- Much GP: I observed, and our team was the recipient of, some significant GP demonstrated by teams helping other teams with parts, tools etc.
- The talent show: The best thing about the after party.
- The level of competition: It was great to see all the best teams showing off their stuff. It truly raised the bar and gave our team something to aspire to for the future.

I wish I could include the actual competition experience as a positive, but there were simply too many logistical problems, especially at the Curie pit field where our division spent most of the time, to say I enjoyed the competition. Maybe the lesson to be learned there is to appreciate the competition environment at the Regional competitions, where there is adequate seating for all.

Re: 2011 Lesson Learned :The Positive
 

Yes it was very nice. Both the one facing the stands and the one that was facing the fields. The Instant replays were a nice touch also.

Re: 2011 Lesson Learned :The Positive
 

The FRC Spyder app. Brilliant.

Re: 2011 Lesson Learned :The Positive
 

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. However, FIRST has nothing to do with the app other than providing the results online in an inconsistent and difficult to parse format. The rest is done by outsiders.

Re: 2011 Lesson Learned :The Positive
 

I couldn't agree more. The FIRST merchandise is cool and I am very certain that FIRST would see a tremendous increase in sales if they marketed some of that at regionals.

I believe they are in the process of expanding this. From an email regarding the Lake Superior regional:

I don't remember seeing much at either of the regionals I attended though.

Actually, I just found this link: http://logolocltd.com/firststore/log.../LakeSuperior/.
Looks like there was a limited trial of new regional merchandise in the midwest this year.