[DougHogg]

Some people were surprised that we came all the way from California for IRI. Although we went to 2 regionals and the nationals this year, IRI was my favorite competition. True, we had problems with chains derailing at our earlier competitions (we had 12 chains on our robot), and thanks to a lot of hard work by our engineers and team members, at IRI we didn't lose a single chain!! (We just couldn't quit until we got it right and IRI with all its great robots was the perfect test.)

But there were other bonuses at IRI. Hey, I got to check out the Team 45 Technocat shift-on-the-fly gear box up close and personal and ask questions, and a while later, I was counting the gears in Team 25's awesome drive train and getting the skinny on how it works. (Thanks for making that drive from New Jersey.) In fact there were so many great robots at IRI that we ran around taking pictures of various devices and systems.

What made this event so great? Maybe it was the midwest hospitality, or Libby Ritchie beaming at everyone, even though she had only gotten 4 hours sleep. I am purely amazed that Libby and her husband Scott raise two children, coach TWO FIRST teams, 393 and 234, and join forces with Team 45 to put on IRI. To top it off, in the middle of getting IRI set up, Libby decided to help us get our robot from Los Angeles to Indianapolis. Amazing. Thank you Libby!!! You saved our robotic bacon.

Then there was the care and consideration of the referees under Andy Baker, a superb job. I also got a kick out of the fact that after I warned the judges that our arm would hit them if it went the wrong way, Andy showed up with a hard hat on with stripes perfectly matching his referee outfit. (We made sure our arm didn't go the wrong way. I was out there swinging my arms and saying, "clockwise"or "counter-clockwise" as I set up our safety switches.)

Ken Leung also came from California, and his calm demeanor and enthusiasm, even when he took on the scoring software and was under pressure to get it working, were an inspiration. (Looks like Cal Games is another must for us.)

I got a big kick out of competing with Team 71's Beast, even though it was only in practise. I didn't even see their robot until suddenly both arms swung at the stack. Quite a sight. (They beat us to the stack by a fraction, but our arm went over theirs, and I think we got a few more bins. I would love to replay that match.)

Then there was the level of competition. Where else would you get to compete against Teams 45 and 47 in one match! (Yes, I know. We totally lucked out on that match.)

Thank you Amanda Morrison and Team 1020 for saving our drive train with your extra Chiaphua motors.

Thanks Teams 65 and 930. It was a pleasure meeting you and an honor to be allianced with you. Those matches were definitely exciting, and we hope to partner with you again soon.

In our last qualifying match, we set up our robot a little off and our arm hit all the bins at once, and for the 1st time, it couldn't push the stack over. Thank you Team 1022 for making it up to the stack and giving our arm some help, sending the whole thing crashing down.

Thank you Brant Bowen for welcoming us, for driving us to Home Depot for parts, and for making us feel at home. You were a great host.

Special thanks to Sarah Brown of Team 30 in New Jersey, who joined our team for our matches and kept track of time for us. (This was my first time mentoring on the field, and in our first match, I was like a deer in the headlights. I totally forgot to tell our driver to head for the top.)

By the way, Robert Hogg (my son and one of our engineers) was stuck with a prior work engagement Friday evening and took a red eye from Los Angeles on Friday night arriving at IRI at 9:00 am Sat. in time to mentor our last two qualifying matches and the elimination rounds. Why you might ask?
Great teams and great people makes for great times!

Bottom line: IRI = AWESOME!!!

You folks just know how to party. I feel like moving to Indiana.

Thank you everyone. You created something very special.