[Andy Baker]

Good idea, Joe, in keeping this positive.

The more we work with the tetras and the goals, the more I like them. At first sight, I thought a tetra was going to be difficult to score, but it is much easier than I thought. You can put that tetra on the goal any 'ol way, and it usually seats correctly.

I love the 3 on 3. All teams at competitions just got 50% more matches. At nationals, we will get more matches. This is great. Teams at smaller regionals will be sweating from running their 'bots back and forth from the pits and field so much. We might see 15-16 qualification matches at some regionals, if FIRST allows. Woohoo!

That drive base is great. Kudos to all who busted their butts this past summer and fall as they worked on it. The frame is just what teams needed, and it can be stiffened as teams put their stuff up on top of it. The tranny is robust and easy to make lighter if teams want to lose some ounces.

Software... wow... this is great. The teams with powerhouse software teams now have to raise the bar again, while the software-deprived teams can now do some fancy things.

As for the kickoff... the game show was a great addition.

So far, the technical documentation looks great. Also, the few mistakes that we see are being caught quickly (1 Globe instead of 2, 1 Van Door motor instead of 2, etc.). Response has been great.

Kudos to FIRST.

Andy B.