View Single Post
  #106   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 22-04-2008, 11:03
Unsung FIRST Hero
Karthik Karthik is offline
VEX Robotics GDC Chairman
no team
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Rookie Year: 1998
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,347
Karthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond reputeKarthik has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Championship 2008 - Atlanta - Your Thoughts Please

Overall I thought this year's Championship was a rousing success on the organizational side. Considering the damage from the tornado, I was not expecting things to run so smoothly. This a testament to all the amazing people who work to put this event together for us.

Also, the dome and GWCC staff were amazing. They were all incredibly kind, saying hello and good luck to me each morning. Southern hospitality is alive and strong. It made the event that much more enjoyable.

Some things I loved:

- The confetti and streamers after the final match on Einstein, accompanied by we are the champions. This is a moment I'll never forget for the rest of my life, it gave the competition a true sense of importance and legitimacy. It felt like we had just won the Super Bowl or World Series. This needs to stay.

- Giving the Chairman's Award winners the proper level of respect. The award may have been too early in the ceremony, but it did ensure that no one left before the announcement. Also, the seating on the main stage was a nice touch.

- The concessions in the pits. This was a great idea, and made life easier for all teams.

A few things that I'd like to see changed:

- The seat saving rules need to be enforced. We saw a single student walk into the dome and put tape around 30 seats. That's just ridiculous. If your team wants 30 seats together, have 30 people show up at the dome and sit in those seats. Blocking off groups of seats like that is incredibly frustrating for all teams.

- It would be nice if there was someone to clear the aisles in the seating at the dome. Too often there would be people sitting in the aisle, blocking the entire stairway. This is not only an inconvenience, but a major safety hazard.

- Keep a few of the staircases between the stands and the field open. It allows driveteam members to pop into the stands after a match, without having to go all the way around. They did this by the Vex fields, but nowhere else.

- Better signage between the pits and the fields. Maybe I'm just a moron, but I was completely lost the first few times I tried making the trek between the dome and the various pit buildings.

- Thursday morning load-in. It was chaotic and borderline dangerous. I saw numerous incidents of batteries and other heavy objects falling off of carts, pushing and shoving to get in the doors, and many other unsafe practices. We need to either let teams bring in more stuff on Wednesday night, or find a way to open another set of doors on Thursday morning to help alleviate the bottleneck.

I can't wait for 2009 to see how they manage to top the amazing show that was the 2008 World Championship.
__________________
:: Karthik Kanagasabapathy ::
"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" -- R.W. Emerson
My TEDx Talk - The Subtle Secrets of Success
Full disclosure: I work for IFI and VEX Robotics, and am the Chairman of the VEX Robotics and VEX IQ Game Design Committees
.