[galewind]

So I'm enjoying the NJ regional so far. There are glitches, sure, but that often happens at a week 1 regional. What's upsetting is that some teams are still having trouble driving around the track, which makes it harder to enjoy the game. I am sure it's incredibly frustrating for those teams.

Obviously I was expecting 103 and 25 to be the two big "Contenders" at NJ, but some teams have really shown their stuff!!

The Panthers (816) have been wrecking house and hurdling quite consistently.
The Gearheads (102) are quite a blur at times.... I don't know how they packed all that speed into that itty-bitty box, but man, does it move!
Another good hurdler was 449, and another was the yellow one with the big silver claws (I'm sorry I don't remember your number).
Cold Fusion (1279) was also hurdling exceptionally well, and had pretty good control.

Some teams are doing rather well without the ball, and one team I saw that I think really does that well is Killer Kardinals (136). Just like the Tornadoes (381), they've got a smart boat-like bumper design which helps them push and squeeze in between obstacles, but I noticed that 136 really realizes that they just need to ignore everything and keep driving, and their drive system is holding up and functioning rather well.

I've seen some great hybrid drives out there too. I haven't had the chance to see a lot of them, but the ones I noted the best were Raider Robotix (25) and rookie team Nemesis (2590). Nemesis crossed 3 lines and knocked 2 balls off for a 28-point start during at least one of their hybrid attempts. From what I was told, 25 scored 40 points in hybrid mode in one match.

Good hybrids are now starting to hit the 3-line mark, and some even all 4.

Oh, and I had a lot of fun subbing in for Georga A. on game announcing today. My apologies to Iron Devils, Mid Knight Inventors, and Blair Wrench Project for butchering your names or just plan getting them wrong. That's what I get for not knowing you all.