2012 Washington DC Regional

[Ryan Dognaux]

This was my first time attending the Washington D.C. regional and I was very impressed by how smoothly the event ran. The venue had a ton of space and there were funnel cakes right on the other side of the pit curtain! It doesn't get better than that.

357's experience at this competition was fantastic. Everyone was welcoming and friendly. A big shout out to all of the Purdue FIRST teams - 461, 1646 & 1747. These teams cheered for us and we cheered for them. 1747 collaborated with us on scouting and provided data when we needed it, which helped us out immensely during the competition. Also congratulations to 461 for winning the Chairman's Award!

To 1218, 836 & 141 - our final matches were great. I knew that all things being even, these were going to be two very close, competitive matches. The 30 point autonomous routines you were putting up prior to our matches had me nervous. Good luck in any other events this season.

To 467 - your scouts had a great strategy in mind and correctly assessed that 2914 would be a great 3rd robot in our alliance. Your robot's 2 point shots were many times just what we needed to have an edge in our matches. Your ability to quickly balance on the ramp with 2914 were great as well. Thanks again!

To 2914 - our team began referring to your robot as 'bubble bot' - and wow were you guys good with that bridge manipulator. The few balls you passed to our end stopped our alliance from running dry towards the end of our matches. Give your drivers a huge compliment for their defensive abilities and for fixing your robot under pressure (can we get a picture of the bent drive axle?)

All in all, DC was a great experience and I hope that we'll be back next year.