[rspurlin]

Assuming that things are as they have been in the past, minus the tornado:

You will have one media pass so that someone can join your team on the dome floor for photo/video. Since there is a wall before the first row of seats, your media person can usually stand there and get good close up video and photos without obstructing the view of the spectators. You will not be allowed to be near the drive teams during the match, nor will you be permitted to interfere with the army of refs, field reset and other volunteers working the field.

Many teams do take a video feed off the FIRST equipment, but there are a limited number of ports. Other teams set up behind the last row of seats with a camera either recording to tape or a laptop. These teams are usually also doing heavy duty scouting with this setup.

Normal camera lenses work fine if you're on the dome floor. The further you go up in the seats, the more you'll need that telephoto capability. For a clue as to size, go to your nearest football stadium that seats 71,000 people and walk around.

Lastly, make contacts with the other teams in your matches and arange to share video with them, especially if they have the match from a different angle. At our one and only regional, I took my camera down to the lowest row of seats neat the opposing alliance drive station. The school camera was close to midfield but higher up in the stands. That way we have two different angles to study our performance.