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Originally posted by D.J. Fluck
First off, I wouldnt. We were playing in the most advanced and the newest dome in the nation. Awesome venue and awesome atmosphere
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I don't know. For me, the atmosphere was too expansive and not, well, controlled enough. I felt entirely overwhelmed by the building, but not in a positive way. I think that Florida's made-to-order venue was nicer because it catered to the event. The tents were built around the fields, and they can be made larger. Einstein was built as the centerpiece. The pits were built adjacent to the division fields. It was all tailored to our needs and that made the experience special and exciting. It meant that FIRST was important enough to warrant that effort, rather than shoe-horning it into someplace it doesn't belong.
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The pit was going to get dirty anyway. The astrodome is an american legend and it was an honor to work in there. It may have been empty this year, but when you have a stadium that seats 60,000+ filling it is hard to do.
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Dirty with tools and robot parts and buttons and giveaways, sure... but, it felt like there was a layer of dust and grime everywhere. The volunteers even said that when they'd gotten into the Astrodome the previous day, the dust was atrocious. The immense shift from being so important as to get the attention of our own village to wiping the dust off an aging building was a bit shocking to me. The Astrodome, in my mind, is a dinosaur and not significant in any terribly important sense. It's something like a Ford Model-T (another first), perhaps. It'd be cool to look at, and maybe even own, but you definitely don't want to have to use it. There are better alternatives.
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Actually, myself and many other drive teams felt a build up of excitment and adreniline through our trips up the ramps in the astrodome...the disney world background made the championships seem a bit "kid-ish" if you know what I mean. It was time for a change and time for FIRST to "Grow up" out of that kid stage.
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I don't associate Walt Disney World with being kid-ish at all, so you're comparison is somewhat lost upon me. I associate Walt Disney World with being a polished, well run show. Again, in Walt Disney World, I felt like I was part of the show. In Houston, I felt like I was trying to fill the shoes of a baseball or football stadium. If FIRST grows large enough to fill those huge venues without self-destructing first, the event may be much, much better. Until then, I think FIRST ought to stick with a venue that's the right size.
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I guess thats what happens when you have a budget
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I don't understand this word 'budget' that you speak of
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The security sucked, but the atmosphere and getting the chance to hang out with friends from other teams was good enough for me. I hardly even rode any rides but I still had a great time. [/b][/quote]
Ditto. It was getting to see everyone I like so much that really made the event worth the trek to Texas, last-minute no less. I just wonder that, instead of the people being the highlight that
salvaged the event*, they should have been the final touch that made it perfect.
* for me.
