[Wayne TenBrink]

1918 had a great time at WMD. Thanks again to 216 for picking us and 1254 for the great effort. You guys were awesome. Great job 503, 85, and 2188. Thanks also to GVSU, all the folks who put this together, the volunteers that made it hum, the judges, and all the teams - especially 904. This is our first victory and we will never forget all your kind words of encouragement. FIRST is a wonderful community and we are honored to be involved in it.

We are amazed at how the level of competition has increased over the course of the season. West Michigan has always been one of the best competitions in the country and this was no exception. It was our third event, so we had seen most of these teams before. Alliance strategy came into play so much more than at the beginning of the season. Defense tactics have gotten so much tougher and targets are a lot harder to come by.

We hardly recognized some of the robots because they had been modified and improved so much. "Continuous Improvement" is another important concept in the "real world" that these kids learn in FIRST. The new MI format really gives us all a chance to develop our machines and adapt our tactics and strategy. It would be interesting to gage how the Michigan teams do in Atlanta - to see if the increased playing time makes a measurable difference.

We look forward to State. Hope to see you all next week!