[Jon Stratis]

The regional was really made great by all the teams there. Everyone got where they needed to be on time (in fact, the field crew was struggling not to get too far ahead of schedule the entire weekend!), and you guys really gave us some exciting matches! I know I was on the edge of my seat through the entire finals... it seemed like every match was a nail-biter!

A big shout out to the teams that pulled together to help a struggling rookie team build a robot practically from scratch. Everyone loves to point out the GP when one team goes over to help another. I think it says a lot more when you get 3 veteran teams working side-by-side for 6+ hours in one pit to help a rookie team have a successful regional. I know they were extremely grateful for all the help they got, and they are definitely coming back next year! In fact, I heard them speculating about a water game earlier today...

And taking off my inspector hat for a moment and putting on my team mentor hat... I really can't believe our robot did end up a pike of twisted metal when it fell from the pyramid yesterday! It was what our team had dreaded the entire season, and when it happened I figured we were done for. A few quick repairs, and we got right back on that horse (err, pyramid...) 45 minutes later in the next match. The team is bummed that we won't be going to champs, but it was still a great weekend for us (just like Duluth was), and we can't wait to see everyone again at the MSHSL Championship in May!