[hionwind]

Obviously there is a dark cloud hanging over the Silicon Valley Regional and, until we hear Madtown's version of the story, we are all making conjectures as to what really happened. It is unfortunate that a great team like 1323 was not able to finsh their season by showing their true capabilities. RC and his team have been the epitome of gracious professionalism over the years and, in so many ways, have helped 1678 achieve our current level of success. Thank you RC for all that you do for FIRST and our kids. There is a reason why you are a WFA recipient and your team a past Chairman's winner.

Having said that, I would like to talk about the positive outcomes at this year's SVR. Aside from this one major controversy, this was a very exciting and competitive regional. The depth of talent was remarkable and, during eliminations, you could tell that there was no obvious outcome despite some powerful alliances being formed. I was especially impressed with the quality of some of the rookie and second year teams. 4990 looked like a veteran team both on the field and in the pit. To seed 12th in your first regional is a great accomplishment but you should also be proud of the professionalism that your students showed in all aspects of the competition.

Thank you so much to our partners 368 and 4171 for helping us keep things interesting in the finals. 368's swerve drive was a thing of beauty and your ability to shoot into the high goal on the fly was amazing. This is the second time that 4171 has joined our alliance (you guys helped us win Cal Games last year) and, once again, you did an excellent job by starting the all-important 30-point assist cycle.

Congratulations to teams 254, 971 and 1662 for taking home the winner's trophy; to team 604 for another Chairman's win (how many is that now?); to team 2035 for winning EI (and for having a "rockin" robot); and, finally, to Annette Lane for a well-deserved Woody Flowers award.

For 1678, this was the most competitive and exciting regional we have ever played. We had a blast, made a lot of new friends, and learned a ton about strategy and execution which will help us improve as we move on to champs. Despite breaking down in the finals, I would say that this is our most successful regional showing to date. We are planning to work hard over the next few weeks and look forward to seeing some of you in St. Louis.