Thanks / Congrats for 2011 NJ regional

[Akash Rastogi]

Chris, congratulations on making it into the Finals. It's been a long time coming. It was awesome to be able to sit with some others from 11 and cheer you, 1647, 2016, and 1676 all on from behind the driver's stations.

D.C. looks like a tough regional, but I hope you and 2016 do really well.

Best of luck man.

[George A.]

What a fun filled and amazing weekend.

First off, Congrats to the winning alliance of 1676, 2016, and 303. You made for one of the most exciting alliances to watch in recent memory.

Congrats to 1089, 102, and 1647. After your first match in Quarters you could have easily rolled over and admitted defeat. However, the poise and strength that you demonstrated throughout the elimination tournament is the epitome of what makes FIRST great, and it was an honor to call your matches.

Now for the thank you's (I won't have room for everyone, so I'll do my best to keep it short...ish)

Since this was a week 1 regional (and our first bag and tag event) things could have easily run south quickly. However aside from the issues with the towers, and a snafu with the ranking system Friday night, things went off without a hitch.

The refs: This year was exceptionally difficult for you, but you all handled it with grace and humility, you made some tough calls and stood your ground in the face of adversity.

Cueing/field reset/field repair: If there was a problem with the field, we couldn't tell. That's how seamlessly you all operated. Teams were where they needed to be and repairs were finished before you knew something was broken.

Scoring: Sarah....what can I say that hasn't been said? Without you, there wouldn't be a FIRST regional.

FTA's: Pete, Ryan, Connor, you three are professionals to the core. When a problem came up there was a blur of denim as you three raced to fix it, I feel privileged to have worked with you three.

Chiniqua: My partner in crime, it's hard to believe that we've been working together for 7 years now, but every event has the energy and enthusiasm as our first. Thank you for keeping things light and fun!

The teams: You are the definition of GP, you fought your hearts out on the field, and bonded like a family off the field. Even during dead times you were dancing and cheering and making the event the party I knew it could be. I couldn't be prouder of you all, keep up the good work!

And finally, a special thank you to Paul Kloberg. You've done so much for me over the years, and nominating me for the award I received on Saturday is too much to express right now. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything that you have done.

I think I've went on long enough, I have no voice, my feet hurt, and I'm sleep deprived...but that's how you know it was a good weekend. See you all in coming weeks and next year!

[Wayne C.]

We would like to congratulate the winning alliance on a well played tournament and making it a lot of fun. Monkey Wrenches have an amazing mini machine and we learned a lot from them this tournament. And where is Pi-oneers going to put all those banners! While we didn't win this time out, our guys had a great run and it toughened us up for VCU next month.

A special shout out to my buddies Chris and Paul. It was great seeing both your teams do so well. Chris's team eliminated us! (lets not make a habit of that but I guess it was our turn )

PK - it was great to see you enjoying robotics like we all used to. Fun on the field is what this is all about.

As I mentioned in passing, I felt like I was at some kind of college graduation seeing so many of our friend teams playing in the top positions. We feel great for all of you.

WC

[PiKman]

Originally Posted by Wayne C.

As I mentioned in passing, I felt like I was at some kind of college graduation seeing so many of our friend teams playing in the top positions. We feel great for all of you.

WC

Wayne,

Thanks for the congrats. Team 1676 is definitely one of those teams who grew up under your wing. It's been a whirlwind of good fortune and good results in our last 4 tournaments - ever since 25 chose us to be part of the #1 alliance at NJ in 2010. Thanks for that kick into adulthood.

On to Virginia and Saint Louis!

[nlknauss]

A few thoughts from the lucky perspectives I have...

From the FSM side of things - The regional completely rocked! The NJ FIRST Planning Committee is full of exceptional professionals who all want nothing but the best for the students who attend the event and it completely shows through the flawless execution of the regional. We're lucky to have the support we have from our volunteers, all the best we could ask for!

From the team coach perspective - This was the first time we brought FRC2729 (3rd year) to the regional and our students loved it! They loved the camaraderie, networking, and gracious professionalism demonstrated by teams in attendance. With the team being one that is relatively young, they learned a lot from all of the veteran teams that will really allow them to improve moving forward.

Also, a special thanks to teams 1218 and 192 for being such awesome alliance partners. Sorry things didn't work out past semifinals, we were certainly a tough force to be reckoned with.

Good luck to everyone in the next few weeks of competition!

[mhayon]

I've said it once, and I'll say it again:

If [we] have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Google tells me that Isaac Newton wrote this in the year 1676. I don't think that could have been more convenient as a way to describe us.