Bills Blog - Champs info

[dtengineering]

I wonder if it was a poor choice of words for Bill to say the playing fields will be "in the pits." Perhaps, "near the pits" would have been a better choice. In Seattle this year, for instance, both fields were "in the pits", seperated by just a curtain. And it worked great. There was sufficient bleacher space, but not the empty voids of the upper levels of Key Arena from previous years.

I also played at a regional (GTR several years ago) where you alternated playing fields randomly from match to match. It wasn't that big of a deal. I'm sure teams can figure out how to move from one field to another at a pre-determined time. If they can't, then... well, "super bowl of smarts" is a bit of a misnomer, don't you think?

Sure, Atlanta was a great setup. This isn't Atlanta. Some things may be better, some may be worse, but as much as I've disagreed with some of the decisions made by the FIRST board in the past, FRC has continued to grow and continued to provide students with an awesome experience. These people are competent and make pretty good decisions most of the time.

So maybe it will be the worst championship ever, twenty-three people will die in the stampede from pit to field at lunch on Friday, everyone will agree that it was really not worth attending, and no one will ever go to championships again for the next two years... but do you really, REALLY think so?

Easy for me to say, of course... I'm not going... but the level of doom and gloom here just seems a bit over the top. The FIRST board usually has a good reason for what they do... even when some of us don't necessarily agree with them.

Jason

[The Lucas]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

Anyone remember Mandy Moore, circa 2002?

Ya, one guy on our team was a big fan and threw his MOE shirt on the stage The reaction of everyone else on the team was the same: "You could have traded that shirt, the is no way that Mandy keeps that shirt!". I felt the need to lighten up this thread a bit I think a big musical act would have better success this time around since the choices are different. Last time, it was Mandy vs. EPCOT (w/ free food) exclusively open to FIRST Teams. This time if it is Black Eyed Peas vs. go back to the hotel, I think most teams will choose Black Eyed Peas. Black Eyed Peas are bigger than Mandy Moore ever was (just played Super Bowl) and I think teams that would normally leave when not selected in Elims would stay for a concert, creating to a larger crowd. Unfortunately, that crowd might be an issue for teams returning to the dome after playing their Elim matches in the pits

Looking at the floor plan for America's Center, I wonder which halls they would use for the fields? Obviously, Einstein and 2 Qual Fields will be in Hall 6 (EJ Dome). Possible places I guess the other Fields could be:
-Hall 5: This would consolidate the Volunteers and Security around Hall 5, the Annex and the EJ Dome.
-Hall 3 or 4: Fields as bookends to the pits. Possibly better noise isolation and traffic flow around the fields. FTC & FLL pits might be closer to the EJ Dome where they are presumably playing their matches.
My best guess is Hall 5, what do you guys think?

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by The Lucas

Black Eyed Peas are bigger than Mandy Moore ever was (just played Super Bowl) and I think teams that would normally leave when not selected in Elims would stay for a concert, creating to a larger crowd. Unfortunately, that crowd might be an issue for teams returning to the dome after playing their Elim matches in the pits

Somehow, in view of recent Super Bowl half time shows, I don't think that participating in one is necessarily a good recommendation, especially for a "family" event.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by s_forbes

Where did you get this info? I couldn't find a floor plan for the entire center (not just the dome).

I was at a conference in the America's Center a couple winters ago. Food was in Hall 5, seating in Hall 4 (and some of 3), and exhibits and stuff like that were in 1, 2, and 3. Main speaking area was in the Arena.

If they've fully changed that over, I'd be beyond shocked.

I'm with Lucas on where the fields will probably be. Hall 5, maybe 4 for overflow. The only other thing that might make sense would be 1 and 2 for getting visitors coming in that entrance.

[synth3tk]

Originally Posted by The Lucas

Black Eyed Peas are bigger than Mandy Moore ever was (just played Super Bowl)

Did you watch the Super Bowl? You'd be proud of that trainwreck of a live performance playing at Championships? In fact, any of the last couple Super Bowl performers sucked worse than a brand-new vacuum cleaner.

I'd choose Mandy Moore over the Black Eyed Peas any day. But that's just me.

[JohnBoucher]

Originally Posted by mrs. p

just my two cents and not substantiated but i was told by shippers that the reasons for the multiple fields was the big, surprise musical act for the team party.

Have the wrap party at the same venue as the finals? That means all those people will be descending on the party at once. What a disaster.

Remember when they announced Rack'N'Roll tubes would be available to take AFTER the finals were over. Hundreds of students poured onto the field then.

[thefro526]

From what I read, Bill's Blog didn't mention anything about field swapping on Saturday.

I think that the switch on Friday is to allow FTC and FLL to run in the dome on Friday, (Figure FTC takes up the space of two FRC fields now, and FLL is run on Einstein) and they should be wrapped up by Saturday morning, allowing all 4 divisions to run in the dome.

Just a thought.

[Refresh]

Originally Posted by JohnBoucher

Have the wrap party at the same venue as the finals? That means all those people will be descending on the party at once. What a disaster.

Remember when they announced Rack'N'Roll tubes would be available to take AFTER the finals were over. Hundreds of students poured onto the field then.

Yeah I remember that announcement. But my team was focused on staying together so I couldn't get any.

[rees2001]

Please try to keep an open mind when it comes to Championship. Some things to think about, some have been said some not.

1. This may be YOUR 5th - 10th trip to Championship/Nationals, this may be the 1st and only trip form many teams & kids. Let everyone play in the dome. If that means you to calibrate your robot for 2 different fields, do so without huge complaint. Know that some kid will walk into the dome and it will be the coolest thing that his team gets to play there!

2. Most of your team doesn't have to wait until noon exactly to move. Unless you have the last match on that field then you do. Most people will transition after thier last match ends on that field. Yes I know scouting will be a pain.

3. No robot parade? This does seem like a downer, especially for teams that finally earned the right to walk in it. Have they always had the parade? I don't remember one before Atlanta? I think the logistics of walking teams around that large of a space it just a bit difficult.

4. I wouldn't be surprised to se only 2 fields in the dome and not 2 plus Einstein. By looking at the schedule it would seem all elimination matches will be on 2 fields. Don't get any crazy ideas about 16 teams per division playing it out. This is probably the reason for qualification matches ending at 10:30 not noon.

5. The convention center is pretty big. http://www.explorestlouis.com/meetin...Tour/index.asp If you take the photo tour you can see some size. The space for 4 & 5 are almost the same as the Dome Floor itself. You could easily fit 2 fields & bleachers in there. This keeps all fields somewhat together. Look at the specs that Lucas posted for the number of 10X10 booths you can fit in each hall. They can probably close off part of a wall to reduce the noise from one section to another. They did this at Chesapeake and it helped a ton!

6. Number of teams, last time I checked there were only around 300 teams on the list. That number will grow after this weekend but by how many? Even if there are 320 teams thats 80 teams to a division. Big but not huge.

Guys, the past is behind us, lets look forward to a great event. Instead of pointing out the possible flaws and complaining, lets see if we can help FIRST make this an awesome event.

[Chris is me]

One schedule thing I'm curious about.

Who in first honestly and firmly believes that the finals on Einstein will take only two hours? It's scheduled like that every year, but I have never been to the Championship when that was the case.

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

One schedule thing I'm curious about.

Who in first honestly and firmly believes that the finals on Einstein will take only two hours? It's scheduled like that every year, but I have never been to the Championship when that was the case.

The power of wishful thinking!

Speaking of wishful thinking...do teams who make it to Einstein get any chance to do calibration on the new field? It would be a shame to see robots dropping ubertubes or slamming into walls on FIRST's grandest stage because the dimensions or lighting are slightly off.

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by Jared341

The power of wishful thinking!

Speaking of wishful thinking...do teams who make it to Einstein get any chance to do calibration on the new field? It would be a shame to see robots dropping ubertubes or slamming into walls on FIRST's grandest stage because the dimensions or lighting are slightly off.

Hasn't FIRST allowed this in Previous years? I thought they did, or at least in years when teams actually used the CMU Cam (2006/2007)

[Mr. Van]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

The big surprise musical act? Is that the same team party that follows the closing ceremonies? The ones that follow the World Championship? The World Championship that teams that are competing at paid lots of money to compete at?

Surely that can't be the reason.

We have seen a good deal of evidence that FIRST is very starry-eyed about entertainment celebrity. There is no venue other than the dome for a large-scale concert that everyone could attend. We all know who is performing, and we are now learning what it will cost us. (Sorry, Jane - I do believe that this IS the reason.)

I've always thought that he FIRST Championship was slightly more about sponsors, media, publicity and VIPs than about young students and their experience.

I very much hope that the "Finale" event will have the party atmosphere where everyone can interact with everyone else that it has in the post-Epcot years.

Regardless, this will be our first time to the Championship in several years. We will keep a positive attitude and I'm sure we'll all have a great time.

-Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox

[David Brinza]

Speculation is running rampant in this thread regarding a "big musical act" in the Dome following the finals.

There's some evidence to support this: a post indicating the fields were configured to accommodate a stage, a lack of information regarding the finale, (normally the hotel package includes admission to the finale event - no mention of that on the Steele Meetings site), and Dean's promise at kickoff of seeing Will.I.Am later this year.

If we're going to be "entertained" in the Dome after the finals, what are the implications?

Here are a few worth considering:

The weather in St. Louis is unpredictable. I know, I lived there for 18 years. Conditions might be beautiful, but it might just be cold and rainy in late April. Having the finale inside the Dome takes weather out of the equation.

In past years, I've seen teams streaming out of the Georgia Dome before the Finals were even finished. (Maybe they didn't want to stand in line for cold food?) That wouldn't happen if the "show" stayed in the Dome.

What about Dean's homework? Are we attracting spectators to FIRST events who are NOT part of a team? A free concert could certainly boost the crowd in the Dome. But will those spectators be engaged by the robotics competition or the FIRST program? Or worse, could this create crowd control and security issues?

Whatever is planned for after the Finals, I hope FIRST remembers the teams come to Championship to compete. Teams work hard to raise funds, build robots, and work around school schedules to travel to FIRST's showcase event. If teams leave feeling as if the matches were downplayed in importance at the event, then Championship might lose some of it's luster.

[JohnBoucher]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

Speculation is running rampant in this thread regarding a "big musical act" in the Dome following the finals.

There's some evidence to support this: a post indicating the fields were configured to accommodate a stage, a lack of information regarding the finale, (normally the hotel package includes admission to the finale event - no mention of that on the Steele Meetings site), and Dean's promise at kickoff of seeing Will.I.Am later this year.

If we're going to be "entertained" in the Dome after the finals, what are the implications?

Here are a few worth considering:

The weather in St. Louis is unpredictable. I know, I lived there for 18 years. Conditions might be beautiful, but it might just be cold and rainy in late April. Having the finale inside the Dome takes weather out of the equation.

In past years, I've seen teams streaming out of the Georgia Dome before the Finals were even finished. (Maybe they didn't want to stand in line for cold food?) That wouldn't happen if the "show" stayed in the Dome.

What about Dean's homework? Are we attracting spectators to FIRST events who are NOT part of a team? A free concert could certainly boost the crowd in the Dome. But will those spectators be engaged by the robotics competition or the FIRST program? Or worse, could this create crowd control and security issues?

Whatever is planned for after the Finals, I hope FIRST remembers the teams come to Championship to compete. Teams work hard to raise funds, build robots, and work around school schedules to travel to FIRST's showcase event. If teams leave feeling as if the matches were downplayed in importance at the event, then Championship might lose some of it's luster.

A security nightmare if true. Competition has always been open to the public. It would be impossible to keep the plans secret.