[Billfred]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

Congratulations Los Pollos Locos on their second Win. I expect to see both Billfreds in St Louis, one for each win.

Don, there's only one of me. (I don't know if there's anyone on 2815 that thinks that's a bad thing...)

Originally Posted by davidalln

How often does a bot go second pick twice in one year and win both times? Says a lot about their abilities. Congrats 2815, along with 180 and 2363!

I'll do you one better: How often does a team go to the last pick of the draft twice in two weeks and win both times? It's crazy.

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Congratulations to...Billfred's alliance for another Regional Championship!

Originally Posted by martin417

Wow, that was an exciting set of finals matches. Congrats 180, 2363, and 2815. Billfred and his team get two in a row!

The Billfred effect!

I can't take much of the credit on this one. After the first two qualifying rounds, I passed the coach badge to our lead college student, Amadeo Bellotti. For a college student that joined the team mid-build last year and nearly had the teachers wanting to feed him to the alligators at Bayou last year, Amadeo has matured greatly to lead the Gamecock FIRSTers organization and 2815. While I still fault him for breaking the field the first match he went out (and then losing that match), as well as making a six-year-old cry during eliminations*, he's definitely getting on the right track.

A few other folks I feel a need to recognize:

180 is the team that got me hooked on this competition eight long years ago in the Colonial Center. When S.A.M.**'s stupid-fast hanging setup propelled them up in the time it took me to glance down, it became the first time a robot completely blew me away. Throw in that unyielding army of SPAMmers in the stands, and it's been all downhill from there. Being able to work with SPAM has been one of those things I've always wanted to do, and I'm thrilled that we had the opportunity to do it here. It was great seeing Eric, Warren, and George at the top of their respective games and to end that far-too-long banner drought.

2363, thanks for coming down and putting on a heck of a show. It was nuts watching you guys duke it out with SPAM for the top spot, and seeing you two pair up from the stats was a no-brainer. I hope you guys make it back down next year.

343, you guys (along with 2751 and 1287) gave us the fight of our lives in the finals. I kept seeing you guys get better and better with each run on the field, and who knows what would've happened if finals went four matches as they did in 2008. If we go on to have even half of the success 343's had both on the field and off over the years, I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over it. (On a related note, congratulations to Gene Falendysz on a much-deserved Woodie Flowers Award win.)

11, thank you for getting that semifinals red card. Your alliance was superb, on track for a third triple-digit score where our alliance had only put up one at that point. Hopefully, the website, Autodesk Excellence in Design, KPC&B Entrepreneurship, and Regional Chairman's Awards will act as an acceptable consolation. (I think that might be a record for a team at this event.)

1293, I was not looking forward to having to counteract that hard defensive play you guys were dishing out. Stephen Colbert references not withstanding, teams playing against y'all were definitely On Notice. I know it'll be even better at SCRIW.

To the non-SPAM members of what I will affectionately refer to as Team Florida, I'm very glad to have y'all back up here. From 1902's, er, warm welcome at the driver's meeting, to Exploding Bacon and SPAM trading cheers (even in the semis while duking it out against each other), to catching back up with 1251, to Purple Haze's crazy tube-chucking machine, Florida teams have always added a lot to the experience at Palmetto and I'm thrilled see you guys making the trip again.

To this year's volunteer crew, great job. It's never easy to transplant an event, but this year's regional was exceptionally smooth. In addition, the North Charleston Coliseum feels like a great venue for this event. A little more width in the pit aisles, and I think it'll be dynamite!

So many great South Carolina teams this year makes me excited for the prospect of SCRIW this fall alongside 1293. I might be awake by then after passing out to recover from the past two weeks.

*Okay, the six-year-old was really tearing up because 1902 lost its first semifinal match...but I'm okay blaming that on Amadeo.

**Surface-to-Air Meat, for you youngin's.