2015 Arizona West Regional

[Nathan Rossi]

We got teams coming from California, Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Mexico. Should be a fun regional!

The teams:

498	Cobra Commanders	  Glendale, AZ, USA
991	BroncoBotics              Phoenix, AZ, USA
1165	Team Paradise             Phoenix, AZ, USA
1212	Sentinels	          Chandler, AZ, USA
1290	Robowolves	          Chandler, AZ, USA
1492	Team CAUTION	          Tempe, AZ, USA
1726	N.E.R.D.S. 	          Sierra Vista, AZ, USA
2122	Team Tators	          Boise, ID, USA
2375	Dragon Robotics	          Phoenix, AZ, USA
2403	Plasma Robotics	          Mesa, AZ, USA
2493	Robokong	          Riverside, CA, USA
2844	Stampede Robotics	  Laveen, AZ, USA
3133	Coronado Robotics	  Scottsdale, AZ, USA
3187	Titans	                  Phoenix, AZ, USA
3230	PrototypeX	          Salt Lake City, UT, USA
3309	Friarbots	          Anaheim, CA, USA
3321	Superior Robotics	  Superior, AZ, USA
3577	Saint's Robotics	  Scottsdale, AZ, USA
3669	RoboKnights	          Ripon, CA, USA
3785	Gila Monsters	          Yuma, AZ, USA
4146	Sabercats	          Scottsdale, AZ, USA
4565	Coyotes	                  Mesa, AZ, USA
4629	Dorado Bots	          Tucson, AZ, USA
4696	RoboAzTechs	          el paso, TX, USA
4735	DEROF	                  Torreon, COA, Mexico
4841	Optimal Robotics          Tucson, AZ, USA
4944	The Hi Fives	          Grand Junction, CO, USA
4962	Knight Tech Robotics	  Phoenix, AZ, USA
4985	elkSPLOSION	          Eagar, AZ, USA
5059	TigeRobotics	          Globe, AZ, USA
5075	RoboJackets	          Tombstone, AZ, USA
5101	Braves	                  Peridot, AZ, USA
5200	Alchesay Falcon	          Whiteriver, AZ, USA
5218	System Overload	          Yuma, AZ, USA

[Jacob Bendicksen]

34 teams - that's smaller than some district events! Good luck to everyone (especially the pit crews).

[RoboAlum]

Means only 10 teams not in elims..... i think there is like only 5 teams doing Chairmans currently right now too

[5reided]

Is anyone planning to run a live video stream of the event?

[RoboAlum]

Im pretty sure purple plasma will do it they did it for Arizona East.

[plasma_54]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

Im pretty sure purple plasma will do it they did it for Arizona East.

We will not be live streaming this event.

I hope another team is able to step up and do it.

[mwmac]

The Tator trailer is being loaded today for a zero dark thirty departure to the Valley of the Sun! Looking forward to some warm temperatures and some friendly competition. See you on the field...

[MrForbes]

Warm temperatures....check!

Friendly competition....check!

See you soon!

[Gweiss96]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

Means only 10 teams not in elims..... i think there is like only 5 teams doing Chairmans currently right now too

Well, there are going to be 8 backup robots so there will only be 2 teams not in elims for sure.

[RoboAlum]

Not to mention you gotta account for a few teams not being able to make the competition i know there were a few east. hopefully we get alot of matches and run with every team at least once.

[cglrcng]

It seems so really odd not to see our # up near the top of that list. We are going to miss being in AZ's 1st ~ Second Regional in the same year ever. Oh, to have an extra 6K or so laying around doing absolutely nothing (though my poor education mentor wife would certainly give me the look if she saw that I just typed that as over her Spring Vacation she worked with the team at 2 different Regionals in 12 days w/ a few pack/go/return/unpack/wash laundry/pack/go/unpack cycles thrown in for good measure).

Sokay, that tall bagged baby is working well (and being designed currently for a lil sweet cheesecaking in a nice gently toasted graham cracker crust), and there is a crate to build, packing to accomplish, and travel plans to be tended to anyway.

Good Luck to ALL competing this week in the Valley of the Sun. Just remember no matter what, to bag it back up at the end if from AZ and qualify as...There will also be the AIA AZ High School Championships in mid-May too!

Which brings up another subject. Since that is a single day event in actuality (and since we go by District Rules this year)...Does that actually mean we all get a lil' unbagged at home shop time each after The Championships? Has anyone yet asked that important question?

Though personally, I would rather see them toss that bagged robot rule for all immediately after the Championships are completed, and allow us all to help others down the list a bit by flat out spreading the cheesecake around their robots, and actually allow teams to practice w/ other teams (w/ the comp bots), and help them out some more....So that the 1st AIA AZ High School Championships event, is the best it can possibly be!

Good luck to all in qualifying for that 1st ever event in Prescott also.

Here's to praying that someone is really nice enough to stream the event...PLEASE?!
_______________________________
Edited to add;

Ooooop's, I just counted and there are only 26 bots from AZ on the AZ West list currently, to be there...And, if they do what was originally discussed here on CD & reportedly intended (don't count on my word, I'm not the rulemakers or Judge and jury. Ask for yourselves, then pass on the info though please), as 30 qualifyiers from each of the 2 AZ regionals were originally to be invited as the 60 qualifiers, I had previously heard.

If so, then all would have to bag it back up again if planning on attending in May. (And there still would be at least 4 slots or more to fill to even get to 60).

[scca229]

Originally Posted by cglrcng

It seems so really odd not to see our # up near the top of that list. We are going to miss being in AZ's 1st ~ Second Regional in the same year ever. Oh, to have an extra 6K or so laying around doing absolutely nothing (though my poor education mentor wife would certainly give me the look if she saw that I just typed that as over her Spring Vacation she worked with the team at 2 different Regionals in 12 days w/ a few pack/go/return/unpack/wash laundry/pack/go/unpack cycles thrown in for good measure).

It is going to be really strange not having a team affiliation at this event for the first time working as the FTAA too.

Originally Posted by cglrcng

Which brings up another subject. Since that is a single day event in actuality (and since we go by District Rules this year)...Does that actually mean we all get a lil' unbagged at home shop time each after The Championships? Has anyone yet asked that important question?

I believe that the unbag time for districts is only before 2-day events and not single day one. However, this doc says that for this event there is a total unbag of 6 hours, minimum of 30 minute increments, max of 3 times unbagged. All unbag time MUST be documented fully.

Note: Below file is a PDF with a DOCX extension on it. If downloading, change the extension to PDF before opening. It opened in Chrome directly for me so I did not realize it until Mr Forbes pointed it out.
http://aiaonline.org/files/14680/aia...e-2014-15.docx

Originally Posted by cglrcng

Though personally, I would rather see them toss that bagged robot rule for all immediately after the Championships are completed, and allow us all to help others down the list a bit by flat out spreading the cheesecake around their robots, and actually allow teams to practice w/ other teams (w/ the comp bots), and help them out some more....So that the 1st AIA AZ High School Championships event, is the best it can possibly be!

Good luck to all in qualifying for that 1st ever event in Prescott also.

AGREED!

Originally Posted by cglrcng

Edited to add;

Ooooop's, I just counted and there are only 26 bots from AZ on the AZ West list currently, to be there...And, if they do what was originally discussed here on CD & reportedly intended (don't count on my word, I'm not the rulemakers or Judge and jury. Ask for yourselves, then pass on the info though please), as 30 qualifyiers from each of the 2 AZ regionals were originally to be invited as the 60 qualifiers, I had previously heard.

If so, then all would have to bag it back up again if planning on attending in May. (And there still would be at least 4 slots or more to fill to even get to 60).

Looks like according to that same doc above, 30 teams total, qualifying based on points earned using the District model (points table in the doc) in the 1st Regional an AZ bot competed in regardless of the location. Winning a Chairman's at that 1st event is automatic entry.

[MattRain]

The bag in tag for the AIA AZ Championship just doesn't make since. Myself, along with another person I work with, were shown the requirements for the AIA AZ Championships before they went out to the public, as I work for one of the companies that sponsors the regionals in AZ. We fought to try and remove the bag n tag requirement, but were not successful. To make it even more interesting, since this is a one day event, there are no awards handed out, so teams are pretty much just traveling to play with their robot. Plus, they have dropped the FIRST name off of the title of the event.... its not an actual FIRST event.... its an off-season event.

My team barely pays the registration fee each year to compete, and have been lucky enough this year to be granted the money to be able to compete in both AZ regionals. We don't even know how we would be able to pay for Worlds if we get there.

I agree that there should not be a bag n tag requirement, but its not going to change, we have already tried... I wish we could get practice with our bot as well...... we need it.... haha. (That, and some modifications....)

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by scca229

http://aiaonline.org/files/14680/aia...e-2014-15.docx

Looks like according to that same doc above,

I can't open the document....hmmm.....Word says it's corrupt.

edit: oh...it's a .pdf with a .docx extension. Needed to change the extension to .pdf and it magically opens. Interesting.

[Tmeziere]

Good luck to team 1165. It was fun working with you at the Arizona East regional.