Championship 2011 - St Louis - Your Thoughts Please?

[Acerflamma]

As a member of a rookie team at FIRST the competition itself was amazing. I had tons of fun, and the experience was nearly overwhelming. While 3588 didn't perform the best, the people, events, and sights were amazing. Everyone is so friendly! I made many new friends while I was there.

Personally everything had a good aspect to it, or my team made something good out of it. With the lack of seats we made chairs out of extra parts, we mingled with every person willing to chat, and tried to attend every event related to it, like the rookie meet up, robo prom, and the stuff happening after the closing ceremonies. I just wish I wasn't a senior. Hopefully I can start a CARD team to compete next year. Anyone have a link that has more information on CARD? Or a way to register a team?

Originally Posted by InfernoX14

The fields in the pits - This wouldn't have been so bad if there was more seating, or more space around the field.

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Acerflamma

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

What a fantastic idea. Can you post a photo of your team/community bench?

Jane

[BigJ]

Originally Posted by Acerflamma

Well, team 3588 built a wooden bench out of extra wood for us to sit on since we had no chairs. We did end up carrying the bench around the pit area to have other teams sign it though! Overall we got several thousand signatures, including Dean Kamen and Woody Flowers! Anyone on here sign our bench?

Haha, we did. 1675 signed with the caption Ultimate Posterior Seat.

EDIT: Agreed with Jane, post pictures!

[Acerflamma]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

What a fantastic idea. Can you post a photo of your team/community bench?

Jane

I will get some photos up when we get the bench back from our crate. Some higher quality pictures would probably be better to put up.

Originally Posted by BigJ

Haha, we did. 1675 signed with the caption Ultimate Posterior Seat.

EDIT: Agreed with Jane, post pictures!

I remember you guys trying to get it to match UPS! I think I can remember where to find it. I'll take a picture of it and post it when we get it back.

[treffk]

Pros:

• As a volunteer I got that food which was yummy.
• I liked the seating going up higher because more people could get a centered view of the field and the concert.
• The concert was a nice touch as a reward for teams
• I loved the fact the venue was only a 4 hour drive from my house rather than a plane trip. STL is just more centered geographically, I did hear some east coast teams complaining about having to fly(those in Georgia) or having to pay $300 more dollars to fly to STL.
• I enjoyed how many restaurants are close by with a short walk. Lacedes Landing has many restaurants that were told in advance about us coming, which gave them time to prepare themselves. Some even do call ahead seating(the old spaghetti factory for example). Most of the food in the area is reasonably priced too. I got a hamburger from Big Daddy's for $6.

Cons:

• Even as a volunteer I was confused about how to get around the pits. I'd walk and find a dead end filled with crates.
• Lack of safety being enforced in the pits. I saw some teams having students sit on the ground in the aisle. I was walking with other volunteers and one got ran into with a robot all because the team was being quiet. I know even on the playing fields my cousin was holding the robot waiting for their cart and got shoved by another team which ended up giving her a wicked bruise.
• I was shocked by certain doors being open one day and then locked another, or vice-versa.
• I enjoy having the FIRST Store there because it allows us all to purchase items without paying shipping. (Big plus for my team because we by the iron on patches on which shipping tends to get ridiculous.) I felt that there were too few people taking orders for as much business they do. At first I didn't realize that they has specific people taking orders and I went to find an order form and was told by a seeming rude person I could not fill it out myself. I understand why due to as many messed up orders happen. When I went to pick up my order I handed one of the workers the sheet. He stared at me for a minute then snapped at me "Want to help me?" I was wearing my volunteer name tag and did not realize my name was not legible on the order form.
• I was not aware on how to get food for the Finale and it seemed like they were not enforcing the wristbands. When I found out where to get the food all they had left was salads and possibly sandwiches further down. I was not a fan of the doughnut glazed cookie or the vitamin water. I decided not to risk it. I ended up not eating it anyways, volunteers were given pizza instead.

I have no opinion on fields in the pits due to me not watching many matches. I was too busy showing around my boyfriend who is still somewhat unfamiliar to FIRST. Possibly look forward to a Navy booth next year, he got excited about it and called his recruiter to tell him about it. We all have to remember that this was the first year at this venue and all they can do is improve. It was a learning experience for all and we will benefit from it next year.

[Cory]

Pros:

Short walk to dome floor from pits, short walk to pit fields
Comfortable seats in dome
(I feel bad just putting 2, because the much higher number of cons is going to make it sound like I had a bad experience, which isn't the case)

Cons:

Awful Hall of Fame placement. I'm guessing the majority of people never saw it, as it was hidden way off in the corner by FLL/College FIRST. Maybe there was a reason, but they ought to have displaced something else to put it front and center like in Atlanta.

Terrible signage. It was very confusing at times where things were. Galileo pits were the worst. It was really confusing at first.

Terrible crowd control. We showed up very early to ensure we got the seats we wanted, either in the dome, or in the pits. The venue staff either told us to stand one place and then let other people in front of us, or left various random doors unlocked such that other teams ended up in the dome/pits well in advance of them opening.

Event staff forcing everyone to leave the pits for the opening ceremonies. We got up at 4:30 in the morning so we could get to the event early enough to get the seats we wanted. We get them and then the volunteers force us to leave for the dome and hope that when we come back someone else hasn't sat in our seats. We pay $5,000 to come to the event. If we don't want to go see the opening ceremonies we shouldn't have to.

Limited food choices in the vicinity of the pit. I may have missed something, but it seemed like you had three choices. Hot dogs, corn dogs, and traditional stadium snacks. There was that little "cafe" but they had a limited selection and I heard it was pretty bad.

Volunteers being extremely over zealous about safety glasses in the pit entrance. If all you are doing is walking to the pit fields, why do you need safety glasses? Compounded by the fact that they will not hand out safety glasses to team members (I understand the reasoning, but come on, just let people walk to the field without them).

Rude volunteers on multiple occasions. Not the fault of St Louis or FIRST even, really. There's always going to be a few.

Minor, but I'm fairly certain that the event staff mopped every single row of seats and the concourse inside the dome with soda every night. It was that sticky.

[CrystalWolf]

Unfortunately, I could only spend a few hours at the event and did not attend the concert, Einstein matches, or the finale, so I'm probably not as qualified as others here to make a complete list of the good and the bad. But there are a few things that haven't been mentioned yet.

Good:
- Clearing up the mess quickly at the airport or using different concourses. I wasn't there, but it was great to see that everyone actually made it here.
- The shorter distance between the pits and the stands, as already mentioned.
- Having the entire venue in one building. It keeps out the elements when walking between the pits and the stands.
- Having the St. Louis Metrolink nearby made for easier transportation.
- No bag checks at the Dome. It's nice to actually be able to carry full water bottles to the stands for once.
- Getting the word out, both through signs and ads all over the city and through celebrities and sponsors.

Bad:
- Lack of signs. I'd like to say I'm good at finding my way around unfamiliar places, but I was utterly lost initially. Wandered around until I walked into the pits, had to ask for directions to the Dome. It would be helpful to provide FIRST-related maps, not just general venue maps.
- Lack of organization in the pit area. It was hard to determine which division I was in, and everything not pit-related was pushed to the sidelines.
- Lack of large division signs or banners. In Atlanta, there were large banners that read, "Archimedes," "Newton," etc., so we knew which division we were watching. In St. Louis, these were too small to be readily noticeable. Maybe this is not a big deal for most, but it would confuse anyone new to FIRST.
- Pit fields. I understand the rationale but did not like the general idea any more because of it.
- I miss the CNN Center food court...
- The overall layout of the area was more cramped than in Atlanta. I think St. Louis is a smaller city and having the venue in the downtown area didn't help matters.
- It got very crowded in the FIRST store at times. This was just like Atlanta, but they could at least expand a little without having to add more items.
- They could enforce basic safety rules in the pits better. Safety glasses on at all times, hair ties for girls, close-toed shoes, etc.

[pathew100]

Originally Posted by Cory

Cons:

Volunteers being extremely over zealous about safety glasses in the pit entrance. If all you are doing is walking to the pit fields, why do you need safety glasses? Compounded by the fact that they will not hand out safety glasses to team members (I understand the reasoning, but come on, just let people walk to the field without them).

You needed safety glasses to get to the fields because you went through the pits to get to them. Who knows when an accident is going to happen?

There needed to be a way to get to the pit fields without going through the pits. As there was not, you needed safety glasses to get there. It's easier to try to enforce the rule for everyone entering than trying to ask every individual where they are going anyway.

Safety glasses on in the pits at all times.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by pathew100

You needed safety glasses to get to the fields because you went through the pits to get to them. Who knows when an accident is going to happen?

So by this logic, do you wear safety glasses while walking down the street?

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by JVN

So by this logic, do you wear safety glasses while walking down the street?

No, with that logic you wouldn't be walking down the street at all!

[pathew100]

Originally Posted by JVN

So by this logic, do you wear safety glasses while walking down the street?

No, but I wear safety glasses when I enter any shop environment. At work, at my teams build site, wherever.

Just because you are walking down an aisle in between pits does not make you invulnerable to injury.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by JVN

So by this logic, do you wear safety glasses while walking down the street?

You don't? ;P


More thoughts on the pit fields: I agree that they need to be moved to an area that doesn't require safety glasses to get to. Given the non-negotiable path of robot traffic to the dome, this would probably mean placing the fields around where the FTC and FLL areas were. That could move the pits for those programs closer to the entrance to the dome (by where the fields were this year), which I don't have any objection to. Moving the FRC fields there would pose two options for safety glasses: a) the only connection between the pits and the field would be the queuing line, or b) it would have to be made VERY clear where the field ends and the pits start, and another safety glasses table would likely be needed (which presents the opportunity for a huge, dangerous bottleneck).

Also, if anyone decides that they considered the safety glasses volunteers rude (not just doing their job), complaining to or about FIRST about that will do nothing, especially with no substantial and objective proof. While volunteers are a part of and represent FIRST at events, they are not employees. It's not like they can be fired from their job. At this point, all that could be done is scolding.

Edit, to avoid posting twice in one hour:
Ed and Richard are right about reassigning/passing on people. I've heard the stories too. There will still be volunteers every year that are considered rude, though, whether they are the same people or new ones.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Karibou

You don't? ;P


More thoughts on the pit fields: I agree that they need to be moved to an area that doesn't require safety glasses to get to. Given the non-negotiable path of robot traffic to the dome, this would probably mean placing the fields around where the FTC and FLL areas were. That could move the pits for those programs closer to the entrance to the dome (by where the fields were this year), which I don't have any objection to. Moving the FRC fields there would pose two options for safety glasses: a) the only connection between the pits and the field would be the queuing line, or b) it would have to be made VERY clear where the field ends and the pits start, and another safety glasses table would likely be needed (which presents the opportunity for a huge, dangerous bottleneck).

Also, if anyone decides that they considered the safety glasses volunteers rude (not just doing their job), complaining to or about FIRST about that will do nothing, especially with no substantial and objective proof. While volunteers are a part of and represent FIRST at events, they are not employees. It's not like they can be fired from their job. At this point, all that could be done is scolding.

I have heard cases of FIRST passing on people for volunteering before when they prove to be a problem.

[rsisk]

Originally Posted by Karibou

While volunteers are a part of and represent FIRST at events, they are not employees. It's not like they can be fired from their job. At this point, all that could be done is scolding.

Volunteers cannot be fired, but it is possible they can be assigned to a different position the next year or not return at all.

From my experience at CMP, I would say about 90% of the volunteers were pleasant to work with, 9% were extraordinarily wonderful to work with, .9% had their moments, and .1% were in the needs improvement category. Not perfect, but pretty darn close. I'd apply the same percentages to the teams we were working for.

Feedback like we are seeing on these threads is good, it gives a chance to evaluate what we have done right and wrong and provides an opportunity for improvement. It's healthy and appreciated.

[Kevin Sevcik]

I feel like we should start a new thread specifically about FIRST's safety glasses policy.

Arguments that there's a non-zero chance of eye injury are not persuasive. There's a non-zero chance that a rock will shatter your car windshield into a million pieces. To paraphrase JVN, do you drive with your safety glasses on? I should hope not, as the loss of peripheral vision is much more dangerous.

Which is to say, perhaps we should examine whether the costs of wearing safety glasses outweighs the benefits.

I'm wondering if we might get more benefit if we pull the volunteers and team "volunteers" from the safety glasses Maginot Line* and distribute them around the pits to monitor other, more serious safety issues. Issues like teams standing around crowding pits and aisles, teams working on robots outside their pits, minibot towers outside of pits, and various other dangerous doings. I have to think that it's better to reduce the possibility of accidents than to reduce the potential severity of a small class of those accidents.

*We all surely realize that the door guards are useless once someone's behind them without safety glasses, right?