[DonRotolo]

Ryan said most of what I wanted to say, so read his post first.

75: You guys are a real class act. The cheering was amazing. And thanks for the technical help in the pits - we solved both our problems by working together.

223: Your balancing on the coopertition bridge with us helped us cement our 1st seed position tremendously. Thank you.

1370: Wow. Thanks for the help. There is NO way we could have done it without you.

56: Wow again. Your team was easily the best at Rutgers, and it was very gracious of you to accept our invitation. We knew we couldn't have won without you.

869: Scrappy defensebot indeed, your team was one of our biggest worries, because we knew you'd be picked early but we needed a scorer for our first pick. Awesome defense in a very difficult-to-defend game. Love the shark fin, which works like a dream.

The event itself was spectacular, every bit as exciting as any regional I've been at. MAR has done a good job. Pits were spacious and convenient. The idea to address the lack of live scoring was brilliant. Food was acceptable and reasonably priced, parking was good.

Now I get to my complaints.

The venue was OK, but with limited seating and tiny passageways for people and robots, this historic building (from 1938-ish) was poorly suited to an FRC competition. We took our camera off with the low doorway while wheeling in for our first match, and the exit doorway claimed a few victims as well. There was ONE restroom for the entire venue of 1300 people, and it was small - 5 'fixtures' and 2 sinks. (OK, two - ladies and mens). On a warmish day, when the inside of the gym was 85 degrees, the college had the heat turned on so hot I burned myself on a radiator. And don't get me started about the comfort of sitting on bleachers...

The ONLY way we would return for a second year was if we held the competition on the lower level. That's where the pool is located.....WATER GAME!