2013 Western Canada Regional Recap

[joelg236]

It was fantastic to see the first Western Canada Regional.

So many things had to come together very quickly for it to happen, but I'm so happy to say that it was a huge success. I want to thank everyone who made it possible.

I was there when me and my dad first talked about having a regional in Calgary. It seemed like quite the long shot, but I was on board. From there on, there has been a string of successful attempts at sponsorship, venues and coordination. It's been an amazing 9 months, and I'm glad to have been a part of something so cool. There's so much to say about how amazingly grateful the FIRST community is to my dad for all the work he's done. And not to leave out everyone that's helped along the way! A lot of key positions in the regional have been filled by some of the most qualified and passionate people I know. The Western Canadian regional is thankful especially to people like Mark Breadner, who got us started from the ground up, helping however they can. Seriously, there is no way this whole thing could have happened without all of them.

We're also thankful for all the sponsorship from the amazing companies who have helped out. U of C has been a fantastic main sponsor. APEGA, ISA, TD, CBE, SAIT, CSSD, the Government of Alberta, Husky and the City of Calgary have all given students access to a program that inspires them. Thank you, all of you.


A few things I want to express

I am continuously impressed by all of the rookie teams in Calgary. It's a very different feeling to go to a regional and know a lot of the kids there. Our team is proud to have a community built in Calgary. I am impressed by 4606 and 4604, two awesome community teams that were started by some very minimal advertising. The students there impress me with their pure dedication, no matter how hard the competition might seem. Team 4733's performance as a first year team was inspiring, and their design was very creative. I remember speaking at one of Team 4627's first meetings as a team, and seeing how motivated they were to be competitive. I'm glad to have seen them flourish in Calgary.

The volunteers, judges, refs, ftas and everyone else that was part of the event were phenomenal. I liked seeing more than 10 people I know from our team helping out where they could, and seeing 3 of my family members taking roles as volunteers and pit admins. I can't express my thanks enough.

The international teams (Brazil, Mexico, US, Ontario) were awesome to see. It gave the regional a touch of everything, without it being too out of touch with local culture (a white hat ceremony in opening ceremonies!). We're happy that 216, 244, 288, 771, 1305, 1334, 1691, 3278, 3354, 3527 and 4205 were all able to make it out to Calgary.

We were glad to see Calgary stacking up to be a much more competitive regional than the "Rookie Regional" it was predicted to be. Scores were very close, if not higher than an average regional, and we saw a lot of good matches. No excitement was lost.

I really don't have much to say other than "I was inspired by this" -

Originally Posted by ehaw17

Meet Herman.

Herman is from Fort McMurray, an Albertan city eight hours North of Calgary.

Like most of us, Herman wanted to build robots.

Unlike most of us, he the only student on FRC Team 4625, the Trappers.

You see, Herman is a rookie. He started the team along with a teacher from Father Mercredi High School and three other students. Like most of us felt in our rookie year, build season was challenging. Unfortunately, the other three students quit.

But this isn’t a pity story for Herman, but one of inspiration. He is the one-person team that could.

At fifteen years old Herman walked into the Western Canadian FRC Regional, Thursday, April 4, his family shortly behind him. It was just him and his robot, as his teacher showing up later in the day. With courage, he sat in his pit and got to work.

Soon, the rest of the regional heard of this one-person rookie team. They were curious, so they checked it out and talked to Herman. When SWAT (FRC Team 771) and the Robodawgs (FRC Teams 216, 244, 288) found out his robot wasn’t functioning, they got to work. With help from both veteran and rookie teams alike, Herman had a functioning, inspected robot by the time the pits closed Thursday. The regional administration had also given him special permission to have people from other teams be a part of his drive team. He will also have a handmade banner for his pit and scouting help, incase he happens to be in a picking position.

And as you watched the regional pull together for this one-person team, you can’t help but feel inspired. When you meet Herman, he has nothing but the biggest smile on his face. He is the embodiment of FIRST itself – determination, courage and a malleability that is common to a lot of rookie teams.

FIRST is about taking a big idea and making it happen. Within Team 1305, it was taking the feel of competition home with us for North Bay to experience – and winding up with a celebration of science and technology that includes all levels of FIRST Robotics Canada, reaches 3000 people annually and has helped create rookie teams. For Simbotics, it was the creation of an app that was downloaded over 1500 times in 65 different counties. For rookie teams, it is often just getting a robot that can compete.

Some ideas are easily successful and some are more challenging, but the great part about FIRST is that the FIRST Community is always there to support you. Today was just one example of how FIRST is a family, and families stick through things – thick or thin. Thank you Herman, for inspiring and reminding us what FIRST is all about.

- Emily Haws

Captain
FRC Team 1305

Awards
Congratulations go to 4001 for the Creativity Award, 771 for the Entrepreneurship Award 1334 for the Excellence in Engineering Award, 4497 for the Industrial Design Award, 1772 for the Quality Award, 216 for the Gracious Professionalism Award, 1305 for the Industrial Safety Award, 4771 for the Rookie Inspiration Award and 3278 for the Imagery Award. You all deserve them.

Engineering Inspiration Award - 288

You guys deserved this. The robodawgs are a fantastically organized team, and inspire everyone to be better.

Regional Chairman's Award - 3354

I really didn't know about this team until this week. I am now thoroughly proud to say they are part of the FIRST community. They do a great job in spreading everything about FIRST and more.

Highest Rookie Seed - 4733

Rookie teams always have a hard time at their first event. It's fantastic to see them do well, and this team did exactly that.

Rookie All Star Award - 4627

Once again, these guys were set to do well since the start. I really hope they can do well in St. Louis. We've made some good friends on the team.

Team Spirit Award - 3354

All I can really say is that these guys are loud, and proud. It was great to have their energy at the regional.

Team 4334
I'm proud to congratulate our team members and mentors for our awards:

Innovation in Control Award - for our control system, programming and subsystems. The judges were impressed by how well we were able to accomplish our goals using software and hardware in tandem.

Woodie Flowers Finalist Award - Craig Maynard - There are so many things I could say about Craig, but honestly it is summed up by this award. He has been a huge part in our success.

FIRST Dean's List Finalist - Alex Rodrigues - Our team captain and my friend. He exemplifies how engineering can be a challenge worthy of passion and time.

Regional winners
Teams 1334, 4334, 4633 and 4591 won the Western Canadian Regional without any losses in eliminations. It was tough for our 3rd team (had to replace 4633 with 4591 because of robot troubles), but we followed through. It wasn't easy, but the alliance did the work to win in the first ever regional in Calgary. Special congratulations go to 4001, 216 and 1691. You put up a good challenge with some of the more solid cycle shooters I've seen. Defense almost costed us the second match, and it was awesome to have such high competition.


Thank you team 1334 for such an awesome competitive robot. Simbotics and OP continue to push Ontario teams, and you guys are the perfect example.


There's so much more to say, but I think I'll keep my personal thanks to the people who deserve to be thanked. There are just too many to count. I'm so happy there is a regional in Western Canada, and FIRST Canada's sponsorship will do nothing but good in Calgary and beyond.


Thank you EVERYONE, from me and Team 4334!

[Akash Rastogi]

Big congrats, Alex! I remember when you first set out in forming 4334 when you left your old team and I could tell you were extremely passionate about it. Glad your efforts have been recognized dude. Keep going!

[hiyou102]

I was really amazed by how much 3354 had had done for their community and Mexico as a whole. We came to this regional hoping to become one of the few teams to win an RCA in our second year. When I saw the TecDroid's binder filled with documentation with all their achievements I was amazed at what they had done. They blew away my expectations and had me working my hardest to make my team's presentation perfect. Throughout the regional they maintained a positive attitude that I think we should I strive for. I think they were an exceptional Chairman's award winner and hope that they succeed at Championships.

[Christopher149]

Does anyone have photos or videos from the event? Also, what did the Trappers' robot look like?

For me, a one-person FRC team is one of the things that makes this program awesome, much like building a robot at competition because FedEx lost/broke it. Way to go Herman! Hopefully he can get a more interested group of students next year and work on building a strong team.

[lakstick]

All three of the RoboDawgs had an amazing time here in Alberta! As a member of 216, I would like to thank The Retro-Rams and The EagleBots for an amazing alliance! Also, huge congratulations to 1334, 4334, and 4591 for giving us an incredible finals! Special congratulations to 3354 for their Chairmans win! you guys deserved it! It's all we can hope to come back next year and compete with all of you again!

[Yipyapper]

Ever since you guys won Rookie All-Star, I thought 4334 looked like a pretty great team. Then you were part of a team that won the Archimedes division, went on to help start a brand new regional in your second year of existence and you already have 2 of your members—a mentor and a student who definitely seem like they deserve it—get individual awards. And the strengthening of Calgary's community so early on?

I could definitely see you guys competing strongly for and winning Chairman's in a matter of years, if not next year. Looking forward to seeing you around FIRST for many years to come, and see you in St. Louis!

[cpeister]

Originally Posted by Yipyapper

Looking forward to seeing you around FIRST for many days to come, and see you in St. Louis!

Hopefully long enough that we don't measure it in days

[Yipyapper]

Originally Posted by cpeister

Hopefully long enough that we don't measure it in days

Herp. Fixed.

[George C]

Thanks to all the organizers of the Calgary Regional. We were made very welcome and all of our team members had a super time. Thanks to 4334, 4633 and 4591 for joining us in the winning alliance.

[Navid Shafa]

Congratulations Joel, to you and your team!

[hiyou102]

I've been hoping all day to see some archive of this regional exists. So far I haven't seen anything. Does anybody know if an archive is coming?