Competition volume

[microbuns]

FIRST is very focused on safety - that's great. However at every regional we've attended, we couldn't help but notice that while we'd get in trouble for very minor stuff, we were being exposed for >8 hours to dangerous amounts of volume. At our latest competition (which was by no means the loudest one we've been at - just the most recent) we measured the volume to be around 100dB. According to our government (and this can vary place to place) the maximum allowed exposure to 100dB under their most lenient scenarios is 2 hours.

Now personally - I can live with the volume. However there are older mentors who just can't handle it. Sure, suggesting earplugs is okay, and it works for them, but unless you can get every kid to wear them, then you still have a safety risk. And if you managed to get everyone at the competition to wear them... Why didn't you just turn down the volume?

[Koko Ed]

I took my niece to her very first FIRST competition last weekend. She enjoyed it very much but hung out with pit admin because it was too loud on the field side. I spend the whole weekend in front of the speakers so I get it worse than anyone at the events but I blast music all the time so I guess I don't notice it.

[GeeTwo]

I don't think Bayou was nearly that loud, unless you were right by the speakers. In the stands, you could carry on a conversation with only a slightly raised voice, and in the pits, the sounds of voices and machinery (no grinders, and not a lot of drilling or cutting!) were louder than the sound system. The only sound volume issue I had was when using a cell phone in the stands.

Actually, I did have trouble hearing the pit announcements, they were a bit too LOW, at least for my ears.

[AlexC]

We just competed at the Buckeye Regional and it was VERY loud. Easily the loudest event I've been at. To talk to our alliance partners in queue we had to leave the queue line and go around a corner to hear each other.

[Jalerre]

Your regional was over 100dB? Which one? I know at Palmetto every year the MC tries to beat a volume record by getting the crowd to scream as loud as they can with the music blaring. It averages around 95dB when when purposefully trying to be loud.

[KPSch]

I was at Buckeye this weekend too. On Friday it was WAY too loud. A few on our team measured the sound over 100db. Even our students thought it was too loud. There must have been some complaints because the music was at a much more reasonable volume on Saturday.

[vhcook]

I've gotten to the point where if I am planning to be in the stands for more than a minute or two, I wear hearing protection. Downloaded a dB meter app on my phone at Arkansas, and the levels were always over 85 dB and frequently up to 100 (which appeared to be the saturation point on my phone's microphone, since it never registered over 101, but pegged there for quite some time). Kansas City was a little better, but still over 85 dB at all times when the music was on.

It's just a smartphone app, not a properly calibrated meter, but I could feel the absence of the sound when I left the arena at both events.

[JDGallagher]

In the front row center stands, the Virginia regional was consistently around 100 dB, and physically painful to hear during loud points in songs. Thank you to the teams that were giving out hearing protection in the pit.

[Pretzel]

The Colorado regional was loud to the point of causing pain for the drivers on the field. Even to just talk to my co-driver, who stands no more than two feet from me, I had to yell nearly as loud as I could to be heard. In the middle alliance station, or number two, it was impossible to verbally communicate with the human player at the tote chute without sending a coach over to talk directly to them.

[IronicDeadBird]

Originally Posted by Pretzel

The Colorado regional was loud to the point of causing pain for the drivers on the field. Even to just talk to my co-driver, who stands no more than two feet from me, I had to yell nearly as loud as I could to be heard. In the middle alliance station, or number two, it wad impossible to verbally communicate with the human player at the tote chute without sending a coach over to talk directly to them.

Uhhhh.... Welp, now I feel bad sorry for the ruckus.

-From that one guy on 1339 who jammed out to Call Me Maybe

[artdutra04]

The absurd sound levels are definitely one of those "non glamorous" genuine safety concerns that I wish FIRST would address with guidelines and enforcement for maximum sound levels.

For the past few years I always wear earplugs in the stands because the volume is just too high. It might seem cool once or twice in high school, but a decade of regionals starts to take a toll.

The only difference setting the volume level at 11 gets you instead of 7 is permanent bodily harm.

[JamesBrown]

Originally Posted by JDGallagher

In the front row center stands, the Virginia regional was consistently around 100 dB, and physically painful to hear during loud points in songs. Thank you to the teams that were giving out hearing protection in the pit.

I think the worst area was the Queuing for the next match up. I am not particularly sensitive to loud noises, but found the Next match queuing area, particularly on the blue side to be painful during some songs. I cannot imagine what it was like for the volunteers who were there all day. There is absolutely no way the volume level on the front half of the field (towards the stands) met OSHA standards.

[Lil' Lavery]

I've been too far too many regionals and loud concerts for sound to typically bother me. The lone exception was the Chestnut Hill district this year. The sound levels were ridiculously high, and the speakers pointed right at the queue line and driver's stations. It would borderline impossible to communicate with anyone, and my ears were often physically hurting. I made multiple complaints to field staff at the venue and again in the post-event surveys. I hope that particular individual DJ is not allowed back.


That being said, my voice would prefer if I didn't have to converse over the music constantly at just about any event.

[ayeckley]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

my ears were often physically hurting.

That means that you have now incurred a small but irreversible amount of hearing loss. FIRST goes to a lot of effort to ensure safety at events, but really drops the ball on this issue. Not referring to you Sean, but unfortunately some folks think that ringing ears is a point of pride. I used to think so too, but as much as I enjoyed that Rush concert at the Richfield Coliseum back in '85 it was probably too loud. The thing that I don't understand is that nowadays rock concerts are very careful about not exceeding SPLs, but yet other events staffed by essentially the same type of production professionals aren't.

Buckeye was the first time I've had to put on my hearing protection at an FRC event in several years. Did not like.

[JamesCH95]

At Hartford this weekend the DJ/AV guy had the sound for buzzers/bells cranked to an insane level. I politely asked him to turn it down and he did. The rest of the weekend was much more pleasant than Friday night.

Has anyone else ever tried politely asking for the volume to be turned down?