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Unread 08-04-2008, 23:40
ChristinaR ChristinaR is offline
Pictures. PR. Rockin' it.
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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Location: Bridgewater, MA
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Re: 2008 New York City Regional

This was my first time making an appearance at the NYC Regional, and only second time volunteering at a FIRST event. What a crazy weekend!
So here's what I have to say-
All the key volunteers were very pleasant. Unhappy with my placement at the safety glass station, I was able to transfer over to field reset (thanks Bharat!) within a few hours. That was great! Everyone on field reset, at the scoring table, and all the refs were fun people and a blast to work with. I became quite skilled in the art of ball placement (after several humorous failed attempts to get the balls on the overpass when I first got there).

The pit numbering was a bit funky, but I understand the reasoning behind it. Lots of confused team members came up to me Friday morning asking where their pit was, and I always did my best to point them in the right direction. I second Rich's idea of naming the aisles next year. It would make scouting interesting. "Ohh, 555? They're on Kamen Boulevard."

Having FRC, FTC, and FLL all in the same place was really neat, though the noise sometimes became a problem. From the field, it was easy to hear what was going on at the other events, which drowned out the music at ours. However, the pit announcing was loud and clear.

I know there were some complaints about us getting behind schedule, but shift happens. We kept having trouble with the field, especially after a few hybrids where the alliance station was hit so hard that it lost power.

I had the pleasure of meeting many amazing people this weekend, and I hope to see all of you in the near future! A shoutout goes out to Jose who was the only person on field crew who was brave enough to dance on the field with me. And a special thanks goes out to Koko Ed for letting me try his popcorn.

And thank you everyone who repeatedly asked if I was alright after my incident with the gate. For those who didn't hear, while closing the gate before the start of a match, I got "bit" by the latch. I didn't notice at first, but then realized that I had essentially skinned the knuckle on my right index finger! In retrospect, I should have gone to get stitches, but I'm okay now.

The robots were strong and competitive, the crowd was enthusiastic, the MCs were vibrant, Dean Kamen and Michael Bloomberg...it all made for an excellent event. One that I hope to be attending next year.

Congratulations to 555, 1989, and 41 for the win! Also, a big congrats to 348, 375, and 637- you guys put up a tough fight. That third semi-final match was a nail biter for sure!
Also congrats to 694 for EI and 116 for a well deserved Chairman's.

I already posted it once, but congrats again to Wayne! Everything he does is the epitome of what an excellent mentor is. The way he cares for his team and always put them ahead of his own needs is truly astounding. It's impossible to name all the reasons why he deserves it, but I believe his actions speak volumes.

I also hope to add more photos to my Flickr account sometime this week, so keep an eye out.

Phew, long post. I'm done.
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