[vhcook]

I attended championships purely as a spectator. I spent most of my time in/near Newton. I had to leave Friday evening, so I can't comment on Saturday. For a first time in the city and venue, I think things went fairly well, but there is definitely some room for improvement.

The pit fields were very cramped. In addition, it was quite difficult to hear the person standing next to you in the pits immediately adjacent to those fields, and I needed earplugs (which were kindly provided by team 1764). I can't imagine how crowded it would have been during eliminations. Things were considerably better in the dome, plus I was able to see some FTC matches during FRC's inter-match gaps. I was delighted by the quality of many of the matches, and I had a great time talking to teams that don't normally attend the same events I do.

FIRST Conference was as usual, a delightful learning opportunity. I had a bit of trouble finding them Wednesday evening, but I had allowed extra time, so that wasn't a problem.

Food options were plentiful and good, although there was a bit of a shortage of trash cans in key areas. There was plenty of seating available for lunch. Parking was easy and reasonably priced, even when I arrived a bit late Friday morning. Traffic in and out was not a problem.

It was hard to find the ballroom for the Dean's List presentations, and since my feet were already tired the standing got a bit old. I'm short, so I ended up using my camera as a periscope to see over the sea of bodies to the stage and the screens around it. The energy level was good.

The Collegiate Aerial Robotics Demo was neat, and I'm glad I got a chance to see it.

The venue maps posted around the building were helpful, although difficult to read at my height (5'2"), and in quite a small font. In addition, the second floor was not mapped - if it had been, I wouldn't have had any trouble finding things.

All things considered, I had a wonderful time, and I'm looking forward to attending next year.