SCRIW III (South Carolina Robotics Invitational and Workshops 2013)

[Billfred]

This email blast just reached the SCRIW teams:

Greetings, SCRIW III teams!

Thank you for your patience on the workshop lineup, but today we finally got the ink to dry on the lineup. It's easily our strongest lineup yet, and we hope you'll take advantage of them!

9:00-10:00: An Introduction to Maya and 3D Animation - Mike Hoatson, FRC 3489 (Category 5)
10:20-11:20: Scouting for FRC - David Allred, FRC 4451 (ROBOTZ Garage)
11:30-12:30: Using Pneumatics in Robot Design - Kevin Thorp, FRC 3489 (Category 5)
12:45-1:45: Team Building - Linda Whipker, FRC 3459 (Team PyroTech)
2:00-3:00: Outreach Activities Round-Table - FRC 3459 (Team PyroTech) and Friends

Workshops will happen in the cafeteria once again; there will be signs.

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The traffic flow on Saturday is exactly like last year: http://scriw.org/wp-content/uploads/...ow-IrmoHS.jpeg

Construction continues on campus, and a back road to the team parking area may be ready in time that will keep you from having to go back onto St. Andrews Road. We will divert you that way if we can--it sure beats that traffic light!

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In case you misplaced your event schedule, here's the plan again:

0800: Pits open to teams
0801: Sync checks
0940: Check-in closed (Once we make the schedule, that’s it.)
0945: Mandatory Driver’s Meeting On Field, Qualification Match Schedule Released
1000: Opening Ceremonies
1010: First Match (both FRC and FLL)
1200: Lunch Break
1235: Resume Qualification Matches
1500: End Qualification Matches
1505: Alliance Selection
1530: Elimination Rounds Start
1730: Elimination Rounds End (approximate)
1740: Awards (Finalists and Champions) & Breakdown

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Make sure to check out our inaugural FLL scrimmage, which will be taking place in the gym lobby and in the rear of the main gym. Matches begin with the FRC rounds at 10:10, and we expect matches to wrap around lunchtime with the FLL-standard three rounds of on-table competition with the new Nature's Fury challenge. Make them feel welcome--they'll be on your FRC teams soon enough!

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As you pack and prepare, we suggest double-checking to ensure you have the following:
-Safety glasses (standard FRC pit rules apply, including closed-toe shoes)
-Red and blue bumpers (bookmark this white paper for next year: http://chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2437)
-Charged batteries and chargers (robot and tools)
-Driver station and controls
-Closed-toe shoes
-Your Gracious Professionalism!

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And finally, thank you for supporting SCRIW III! We aim to put on the best off-season in the South, and we hope you have a great time competing. If you have any questions or comments, drop us an email or tweet @SCRIW during the day.

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Travel safe,

Billfred Leverette
SCRIW Planning Committee

[Kevin Thorp]

Cat-5 (Team 3489) is excited to compete at SCRIW III!

We've been trying to get our robot back up to 100% functional. This week we we able to fix most of the stuff we broke last week.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Kevin342

Cat-5 (Team 3489) is excited to compete at SCRIW III!

We've been trying to get our robot back up to 100% functional. This week we we able to fix most of the stuff we broke last week.

Sounds like us on 4901! We'll be fixing the stuff that didn't exist last week.

(Our first meeting with kids was September 25, and the first time in the shop was October 1 with a borrowed chassis from 1293. Over six working nights, understaffed with a crew of newbies and on a shoestring budget, we've about completed a working robot that might just dump in the low goal, hang for 10, and look good doing it. Forgive me if I have a proud papa moment while announcing that first match.)

[Billfred]

My feet are sore and I'm dead tired, but the field is assembled, the pits laid out, and the drinks in concessions on ice. We'll see y'all in the morning!

[Kevin Thorp]

3:45 am? when do you sleep?

Please send our thanks to all the volunteers for running a great off season competition.

[Billfred]

I just woke up after 20-some hours in the Irmo gym over the past two days. (Surprisingly, I'm not nearly as sore as I was the past two years!)

Before I get into my thank-yous, here were the alliances and bracket:

1) 4533/2059/2815
2) 3490/3489/281
3) 1758/343/1293
4) 3459/2655/342
5) 1553/4452/1398
6) 1539/4451/4901
7) 3506/2187/4582

(With 22 teams competing, we had 7 alliances. Left unpicked was 4261. Nobody declined.)

The elimination bracket went as follows:

Quarterfinals
1 had a bye
2 d. 7 in two
3 d. 6 in three
5 d. 4 in two

Semifinals
5 d. 1 in three
2 d. 3 in two

Finals
2 d. 5 in two

So first, congratulations to 3490, 3489, and 281, our SCRIW III champions!

Further congrats to FLL team 13297, who took first place in our FLL scrimmage in the morning. And a big thank-you to Mary Graves, FLL's operational partner in South Carolina for putting that on. I didn't get to see it, but I've heard a lot of good things.

A HUGE thank-you to FRC 4451, ROBOTZ Garage, who stayed after the finals to help us tear down and pack the field away. I've never had a year where we had more manpower than we knew what to do with, but their help shaved untold time off the process.

Also thanks to our referees Terrell Burch, Tina Drake, and Jacob Paikoff for their experienced help. We're exceptionally lucky to have a Championship division head ref in our area, plus refs that worked Palmetto, North Carolina, South Florida, and probably more over the season, and the entire crew handled every match with a healthy dose of Gracious Professionalism.

I missed a lot of names, but thank you to our entire volunteer crew, host teams included. I know my name is on a lot of things with SCRIW, but it is far from a one-man operation. We've already got a list of improvements going for SCRIW IV.

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To switch hats, SCRIW was 4901's first time entering a competition after just two weeks to get their robot ready. It was a crash course on everything from building bumpers to Why You CAD and Don't Build A Robot This Way If You're Gonna Play Defense (And You're Gonna Play Defense), and our small group handled it with flying colors. Thank you to FRC 1293, the Pandamaniacs for loaning the team a chassis and electronics, to FRC 1102, M'Aiken Magic for additional parts, and all the teams who helped with guidance and parts as we worked through our gremlins. (I think it was their third match when they finally moved; that was the first time the robot moved under its own power in our care.) Further thanks to teams 1539 and 4451 for picking them for eliminations. I thought to myself "Man, that combo might just do it!", but with 4451's arm issues it just wasn't meant to be.

I was also very pleased to have a couple of our kids stick around and help fill some volunteer gaps that developed late in the day. Sandstorm 0 isn't much more than a pile of two-by-fours and scrap wood at this point, but the lessons learned will definitely help Sandstorm 1 be more of a contender.

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Thank you again to all of the teams and volunteers for making SCRIW III a great success!

[mandrews281]

Having been to all three, I can safely say "SCRIW III was the best one yet". Awesome job to everyone involved. Thank you.

Also thanks to our alliance partners 3490 and 3489 for picking us -- I thought we had a really good chance after looking at the alliance picks, and sure enough we did. You are both were awesome teams, and it was a pleasure to play with you.

See everyone in 2014.

[D.Allred]

Thanks for putting on another great show. SCRIW is important for the continued development of area teams and really helps our new students get involved for the upcoming season. Our 4 Laurens FLL teams were also able to attend and see the FLL scrimmage - definitely a great addition to SCRIW.

Congratulations to 3490, 3489, and 281 for the SCRIW III victory. 3490 followed up a strong showing at Palmetto with another great performance at SCRIW.

Thanks to 1539 and 4901 for some great elimination battles. It was great to see a pre-rookie get their first elimination experience.

See you next year!

[Billfred]

And hey, we made the news!

http://www.wltx.com/news/national/ar...op-Competition

[HumblePie]

Billfred, et al,

Thanks for another great event. The Southeast really needs events like this, and your collective efforts are recognized and appreciated. While I wasn't able to be there in person, I was anxiously awaiting each and every text message update.

A special thanks to our partners, alliance captain Team 3490 (Vyperdrive) and Team 281 (The Greenvillains) as the #2 seeded alliance went 6-0 in tournament play enroute to the SCRIW III victory. I know that our students learned a lot, from our rookie drivers in the AM, to mechanical issues brought about by a little too much demo fun on asphalt.

Also, props to Team 4533 (Wando Advanced Robotics) who worked very hard over the summer to integrate our spare shooter assembly into their competition robot for SCRIW III. They demonstrated some nifty driving (I'm told) in capturing the #1 seed during the qualification rounds.

Thanks again for a great event. Already looking forward to SCRIW IV !!

(Hopefully we won't need a swimming pool as the venue)

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by HumblePie

I know that our students learned a lot, from our rookie drivers in the AM, to mechanical issues brought about by a little too much demo fun on asphalt.

C'mon, you know firing a shot from in front of Eddie out the front door of EdVenture was worth it!

Unrelated: I received an email from a teacher with the following:

I may have left my prescription bifocal sunglasses in the gym last Saturday at SCRIW. They are black framed Raybans and have a blue crokie with palmetto trees.

If you found them, let me know so I can connect them back with their owner!

[HumblePie]

[quote=Billfred;1296453]C'mon, you know firing a shot from in front of Eddie out the front door of EdVenture was worth it!

OH... Totally worth it! That shot out the front door was my favorite shot of the year. A real crowd pleaser. Still can't believe the museum organizers allowed it. The damage came from driving a robot (designed with a 3/8" ground clearance for a flat floor) around in a shopping center parking lot. The belly pan looks a lot more like a dune buggy skid plate!

Thanks again for a great event. Sorry that the eagerly anticipated FCS/Mutumbo stand-off never materialized.

[Schott3490]

Thanks for putting on such a great event. This was team 3490's first time attending SCRIW, but it won't be our last. The competition was great and the team members that attended the workshops said they were really informative and helpful.
Congratulations and thanks go out to our alliance partners Team 3489 and Team 281 for bringing home the hardware.
Thanks again for a great event and see you in 2014.