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Re: General Post MARC discussion
Overall, I thought MARC was a great experience for our team. We had a large, core group of seniors graduate in 2009 and this was a perfect opportunity for the new team and new leaders to step forward. It was also great to give new drivers and human players an opportunity to drive the robot they worked so hard to build way back in January.
Some positives include:
A ton of matches - this was especially nice for us since we were using a totally new drive team. I don't think we put the same group of 3 on the field in the same positions once during the entire competition and really got to see who would step up for next year. And, while the robot control will undoubtedly change next year and require new skills for the drivers, the ability to see how students handle the competitive atmosphere will be a large part of our decision on future drivers.
Up close action - you'd think that having been a human player for 2 years, and an MC and Game Announcer since 2005 that I'd be used to being so close to the action during the matches. Quite the contrary. It was a totally different atmosphere being SO CLOSE to the matches. It really makes you feel like FIRST was meant to be played in HS gyms. Sure, places like the Georgia Dome leave you in awe because of their size, but I have a feeling "outsiders" would be much more impressed being able to sit so close to the field instead of 500+ feet away in Atlanta.
The mentor matches - I critiqued our HP and drivers all year and finally got a chance to step back into their shoes. Nothing beats our student coach walking off the field after our first round defeat and telling our mentor driver that he "wasn't a very good listener". I love the mentor matches. Yes, I would pay to play. Also, I liked how it was set up where once you were done competing, you could go eat dinner. I think this helped keep the line manageable (there will always be a line). Speaking of dinner...
Wilbur, we hardly knew yee - Fortunately, I was able to get through the line before Wilbur ran out of meat, but I thought he was delicious. Pork + cole slaw + Pepsi. MMMMMMM. It just goes to show you that even a simple meal, when shared between friends, can be really great.
The competition - I'm not sure if I should be glad I'm not in Michigan or not. On one hand, it would have been great to compete against SO MANY good robots for a whole season. On the other, man would that be tough. It seemed like every match I was leaning over to the people sitting around me saying, "Man, an alliance like Red/Blue has right now could probably win this thing..." Part of that has to do with the size of the event and so many matches per team, but a larger part, IMO, was that a majority of the robots were REALLY solid. Every match seemed close. Evidence of this is that the first #1 vs #8 semifinal match tied, and the first #4 vs #5 sf match was won by #5 by 1 point on a super cell.
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My one change that I would propose you think about next year is timing. I would try to start matches around noon on Friday and only run them until around 5 (then mentor matches and eating). Then run them from 9-12 Saturday and try to stick to an FRC-like schedule (alliance selection at 12:15, finals start at 1:15, or something like that). With a 40 team field and running 7 minute matches, everyone still would get 10 matches. Granted, this will cut into practice time, but this is an off-season event...come ready to play.
We were one of the teams that left early. When we were eliminated in the quarter finals, we packed up the trailer and left. Why? It was 6 PM and we had a five-hour drive home (with mentors driving who had been sitting in the heat all day). I wish it would have made sense to stay, because I really wanted to see who won, but it just didn't for us. By starting things a little earlier on Friday, you can get more in, then finish up Saturday at a reasonable time. In my opinion, if you want more teams from a little further away (Indiana, Ohio, etc), ending Saturday earlier would be a huge bonus.
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In the end, I thought it was a great event and I'm really glad the team went. A huge thanks to the planners of MARC and to ALL of the volunteers for their hard work. Cyber Blue 234 had a great time and will work hard to be back next year.
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Collin Fultz
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