2011 Chesapeake Regional in Baltimore

[I am error]

All in all me and the rest of team 686 had a great experience. We overcame some very big challenges that arise the first day and are very grateful to the teams the lent items to us. We learned alot and were happy to meet some teams from around the country.

[Starke]

SemiFinal 1 Match 3 - Two Red Cards Given

Video Link here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13429939

Time of Red Cards in Match- Starts at 4:20
Head Referee Explanation- Starts at 11:20

Team Update #16 Link: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nt.aspx?id=450

Please do not misinterpret this post. I am posting this with the utmost gracious professionalism possible. I wanted to share this information with everyone that has seen this match and had an issue with the decision. I know that a head referee's decision is final. Our alliance ended up coming just short on the redo of the match. We fought hard and tried our best!

[thefro526]

Matt, I was watching from the stands, and the double red card seemed appropriate then, and after video review, it still seems like the refs made the right call. I was really hoping that you guys were going to pull off the win in the 4th semi, but it didn't happen.

By the way, you guys played some of the BEST defense I've seen in a long, long time.

(Oh, and I believe this is the First double red card I've ever seen in person...)

[Akash Rastogi]

All I know is that it was awesome seeing 714 (a team that we started a while ago from Newark) being first seed and going so far as well as seeing our friends on 237 play with them. Also an awesome performance by 1218 again, one of the underrated teams in FRC. Congrats to all!

[Justin Montois]

II want to start by thanking everyone in Baltimore for putting on a great regional.

A team I want to thank especially is team 365. At every event we attend with MOE they prove over and over why they are in the hall of fame. They are a class act from top to bottom and they are a pleasure to be pitted next too. See you guys at Champs, GO MOE!

Thanks to 1403 and 88 for contributing to a great alliance. Both of your drive teams were easy to work with and handled adveristy with great maturity. It was a pleasure to be on the field with you guys, I wish we could have gone further.

Congratulations to the RoboBees, 836 on winning the Chairmans Award.

Congrats to regional winners and finalists for putting on a great show. The place was electric.

As far as the Semifinal match #3 goes, I don't want it to take away from the regional winners with any controversy. In my opinion both red cards were questionable but in the end the stronger alliance won and they deserved to be finalists.

Again, thanks everyone who welcomed us to Baltimore, good luck in your future events and we'll see you at Championship.

[PayneTrain]

Well, that was a different regional for me.
Coming from a team that, while in my tenure, hasn't had to overcome so much adversity just to put the robot onto the field, it was a different weekend for me. If it could have gone wrong, it did go wrong for us. However, I ended up learning pneumatics on the job and am better for it, so that's something.

Our lift got trashed in our last match when the radio lagged out and threw our robot forward into the wall, and by then we knew we had to stick a fork in this weekend, and wait for the VA Regional.

I would like to thank teams 340 and 88 for loaning out minibots to our team. It allowed us to perfect our deployment mechanism and let us see the right way to build a minibot (until someone builds it better) Our lift is coming back home to go on our practice bot, and we are putting a word in at Diamond Springs for some large water bottles for a spirit drum transformation.

The weekend may not have gone the way my team may have wanted it to, but we got ourselves and most of the robot through it. See everyone in Richmond on April 7th, where we look to return to desired form.

[sidkulk]

I'd like to thank 340 and 88 for being amazing alliance partners. We had some really awesome matches (109 points ), the semifinals were tough but we played well! The anxiety when they were making the decision in semifinal 3, is something I'll never forget!

A huge congratulations to 836 on winning Chairmans, you guys really deserved it!

[RoboMom]

Congratulations to the award winners and all the participating teams. Many thanks to all the great volunteers who pitched in for this event. There were an impressive number of alumni participating.

In addition to the award winners listed on the FIRST site, there was a second VOLUNTEER award given out at this event to the hard working team - Anne and Steve Shade. Both had lead positions at Chesapeake, as well as participating on the planning committee and providing team support to the region this year.

[colin340]

Originally Posted by PayneTrain

I would like to thank teams 340 and 88 for loaning out minibots to our team. It allowed us to perfect our deployment mechanism and let us see the right way to build a minibot (until someone builds it better)

that was a great delpoment system

[SteveGPage]

Congratulations to 768, 1218, and 1699 for winning the Finals! Those matches were epic! Thank you to 714 and 237 - that will be a run I will never forget!

Congratulations to 3650! You are more than just a Rookie Inspiration team, you are an inspiration to all of us!

A big thank you to Jenny Beatty, Bill Duncan, Anne and Steve Spade! A big thank you to all the amazing volunteers, judges and referees! You all did an amazing job!

Thank you so much, Greg! You are a great mentor, friend - and a wonderful MC!

Lastly, a big thank you to those teams who have been such a great role model for us. The advice and support you all have given us, all these years, have shaped us to be the team we are and are still becoming! Especially to GaCo, Hawaiian Kids and Moe! I am humbled by your friendship and your support!

Hope to see you all in St. Louis!

Steve

[E. Wood]

I would also like to congratulate the regional winners but also FIRST Team 846 the Funky Monkeys for winning the Engineering Inspiration Award. That takes a lot of work and is a huge accomplishment.

[EricPalmatier]

A coach’s note:

As a tenured team mentor, a second year coach and a FIRST participant for life I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the teams who participated at the 2011 Chesapeake Bay Regional this past weekend. There were some truly exceptional teams there and the atmosphere was not only overflowing with gracious professionalism but the hospitality we received, especially as a first time participant at this event, made me and the rest of ‘FIRST’ Team 250 feel right at home! So I would just like to thank everyone for that.

I would also like to thank and congratulate our alliance partners, Team 134 Team Discovery and Team 1143 The Cruzin’ Comets for a great run! With your help we managed to make it all the way to the Semi-Finals! We put on quite the show, and with the last match ending with a 70-72 loss, I would say that we not only performed admirably but gave them a run for their money! So, once again, thanks for being awesome alliance partners! Congratulations, also, to the teams who made it all the way to the finals, and what a show the finals were; with the alliance that took us out going all the way. Finals going 1 and 1,double red cards, and a match replay; the suspense was almost overwhelming! Finally, in my opinion, everyone who showed up to Baltimore with a robot and the spirit to compete was already a winner, even before the qualification matched began!

With great competition, awesome robots, friendly participants and a gorgeous venue, I can honestly say that I cannot wait for next years Chesapeake Bay regional! I can only hope that my team decides to add this amazing competition to our list of regional events that we attend regularly.

I would just like to end this by “flocking” Chief Delphi in a manner of speaking. For those who attended this event, I am sure you are already familiar with the term and what the action of being “flocked” entails. There’s nothing quite like the first time your return to your pit to find yourself being starred back at by a tall pink bird with glassy black eyes (protected with safety wear!) and covered with various team swag. The reaction was nothing short of priceless. Thanks to the team who initiated that, and I apologize beforehand because I am still recovering from the event and cannot recall at the moment the team number, but it was a great idea to let off some steam, have a little fun and cause situations to interact with various teams in the pits that may not have come up otherwise.

Thanks again to the participants and volunteers for making this past weekend a great one!

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by EricPalmatier

I would just like to end this by “flocking” Chief Delphi in a manner of speaking. For those who attended this event, I am sure you are already familiar with the term and what the action of being “flocked” entails. There’s nothing quite like the first time your return to your pit to find yourself being starred back at by a tall pink bird with glassy black eyes (protected with safety wear!) and covered with various team swag. The reaction was nothing short of priceless. Thanks to the team who initiated that, and I apologize beforehand because I am still recovering from the event and cannot recall at the moment the team number, but it was a great idea to let off some steam, have a little fun and cause situations to interact with various teams in the pits that may not have come up otherwise.

I agree! I burst out laughing while rounding a corner and seeing the bird for the first time.
I hope the team got their flamingo back. I know there were announcements asking for it to return to home base.

[MikeE]

Originally Posted by Starke340

SemiFinal 1 Match 3 - Two Red Cards Given

Video Link here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13429939

Time of Red Cards in Match- Starts at 4:20
Head Referee Explanation- Starts at 11:20

Many thanks to Starke for posting that link. I was paying attention to a problem with our robot and didn't see the incident that led to the double red card. There is some justice that the match was replayed and the finalists weren't determined by a red card call.

Thank you to 1403 and 340 for forming a very powerful alliance. I'm still impressed that we got past 365, 2199 & 2377 in a very high scoring 194 quarterfinal match. They were my pick for the winning alliance going in to the eliminations. Congratulations to the alliance of 768, 1218 & 1699 for proving me wrong and going all the way.

Congratulations to 866 for winning Chairman's. I had the pleasure of talking with some of their presenters in the Robobees pit and was extremely impressed.

Also a shout out to 2789 TechXsplosion for making their scouting database public. I found it a very valuable resource and it was a helpful complement to our own scouting team.

Chesapeake is a very friendly regional with lots of great teams. Thanks to all the teams and volunteers for making it such a successful event.

Finally we posted a video on YouTube from a camera mounted at the base of our arm giving an interesting view of LogoMotion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyjtAkdZEt4 (IIRC this was from match 57)

[ShortBang]

Originally Posted by MikeE

I'm still impressed that we got past 365, 2199 & 2377 in a very high scoring 194 quarterfinal match. They were my pick for the winning alliance going in to the eliminations.

Thanks for the Kind Words. Our alliance seemed to have gotten bit by the unlucky Bug for that match up. Between Us throwing Chain, 2377 having communication problems, and MOE losing their minibot, it just kept coming. But I think I can speak for most of the alliance when I say we thought you were the alliance to beat.

I would like to give a HUGE thanks to MOE for not only picking us, but for constantly helping us and giving pointers. They were constantly available to come to our pit to answer questions, lent us parts, and even bubble wrap!

And a huge shout out to the students and Mentors of 2199, Having a Dean's List Finalist for the Second year shows you're Definitely doing something right.