[RyanN]

I had a great time being a kid again this weekend. I want to thank all the Bayou Regional Volunteers for their great work. I'm happy to report that the field had minimal issues the whole time. I know we had one radio disconnect, but I'm pretty sure it was on our side. I also only heard the tub boat horn only one time over the 3 days.

Team Combustion #1912 helped us out in a time of need. Saturday morning, the planetary gear box for our arm broke. They had a spare one that they gave to us. We couldn't have won the regional without them.

I was also able to successfully propose to my girlfriend of over two years as she graciously accepted my proposal. She is now my fiancé. I have been working with the Bayou Regional volunteers for over two months setting everything up. I believe every girl in the stands was crying. Thanks for letting me do this, and I'm sure it will be remembered forever by the two of us. It really means a lot! It was absolutely perfect!

My only complaint is the facilities in which the competition takes place, which I let Curtis Craig know about. The restrooms were horrendous, they ran out of bottled water, it was hot, and the static electricity on the floor was still an issue. The bottled water issue is my biggest complaint. The facility rules are no outside food or drink brought on to the premises. If they cannot supply the regional with the amount of food and water needed, then the rule should be withdrawn. Enough said. There is no safety or other issues with bringing in outside food or drink other than the facility cannot make money. To ban teams from eating in the parking lot is just rude. When we're given a 10 minute lunch break, we cannot drive 10 minutes to the nearest restaurant, eat our food, and drive back.

Very successful regional! Here we come St. Louis!