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I've got more free time today, so it's time for:
Day Two: Practice is Boring
I managed to make it through the night today. I went from three roommates for West Michigan to one for Houston. Since I don't have to sleep on the floor this time, I'd say it's an improvement. After dragging myself out of bed, I went downstairs to get the free breakfast that I was promised. When I got there, I realized that I had been very, very wrong about the number of teams in the hotel. There weren't two - there were at least seven other teams that I saw getting food. Two, seven...that's only a small difference, right?
The shuttle to Reliant was better than I thought it would be. The ride was relatively calm, and the chartered bus was comfortable. It's nice to see that someone cared enough to charter buses for the teams. Walking to the stadium would not have been fun. Come to think of it, it would have taken my team at least an hour and a half to walk to Reliant from our hotel. Thank god for buses.
When we got to Reliant, the first thing that I saw was a massive line. That was when it began to dawn on me just how many people were involved in the Championships. It took about twenty minutes to get into the stadium. The weather was great, though. Waiting outside in sun and 70 degree temperatures is much better than anything that we'd have in Michigan at this time of year.
The practice matches were, for the most part, relatively boring. There were a few interesting matches (shattered light covers, smashed crates, robots attacking their own alliance partner...), but the majority of the matches offset those. Who wants to watch one robot on the field by itself? I saw at least three matches where there was literally one robot on the field. Practice is important...but I don't have to watch it.
I spent a lot of time wandering around and doing random odd jobs. I did some scouting for 818. I've scouted at all three events we've been at, and I've yet to see anything positive come from my scouting. My teams either lose quickly or end up winning it all without encountering us once. (I had to scout 226 at GLR and 188 at WestMI. In both cases, the team was on the regional's winning alliance.) I also spent time trading 818 buttons and magnets. It's a great way to get to talk to people. The biggest part of my day, though, was walking. I must have gone back and forth between the two stadiums at least ten times today. And I get to do it again tomorrow. Joy. (It's very hard to convey sarcasm through text, isn't it?)
When we got back to the hotel, I went out to have dinner with some relatives that live in Houston. Because of FIRST, all of the restaurants within a ten mile radius of the area are mobbed. We eventually were able to park at a restaurant called The Houston, and had a great meal. I came back and decided to go to the hotel's pool. While I was down there, I got to talk to some of 783's team members. That conversation might have been the funniest thing that I've heard in a week. Most of the people that I've met through FIRST have been very friendly and are just great people.
I've managed to hit my curfew again. If I get a chance, I'll post again tomorrow. I'll apologize again for the long and boring post. Good luck to everyone tomorrow.
If you see anyone with an 818 shirt, tell them "Todd's on Robotics." They'll get a huge kick out of it.
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