Most embarrassing thing to happen to you at a FIRST event?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by EricH

What about that one drivetrain of yours in '03 or thereabouts? Something about window motors?

2004--1293 didn't exist in 2003. (And I don't feel one bit embarrassed by that, because that really was all that team could get to drive. You kids don't know how good you have it thanks to JVN and Copioli and a bunch of people in the background getting together to make FIRST realize a "kit drivetrain" that required welding 2x4 box aluminum and careful assembly of drill motors that may or may not puke their guts onto the floor wasn't gonna create positive outcomes.)

[Knufire]

At the MI Troy district in 2011, I clipped the top of the field wall while throwing a tube. The entire alliance wall shook so much that a tube fell off the opponents rack, earning a red card.

[Ryan Dognaux]

Being a bit too overzealous about our pedistal not lighting up during a match in 2014 at the St. Louis regional. I became way too vocal and the volunteers thought I was yelling at them when really I was just yelling to get the situation resolved. After a fun talk with the FTAA I've since taken a bit more laid back approach to coaching.

[EDesbiens]

During the Montreal regional in 2013, we had a robot shooting from an end of the field to another... I was the copilot, controlling the turret (which could turn 270 degrees and go up and down...). While loading, I needed to turn the turret perpendicular to the side of the field... During a match, I forgot to slow down the wheel used to shoot and while turning the turret, a frisbee launched and hit a volonteer right on the wrist. After this event, none of the volonteers ever ventured again past the safety net during our matches...

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by KohKohPuffs

For me, saying "landfill" instead of "beacon repair zone" as a game announcer in the local FTC qualifier.

Well, several announcers have been calling the debris "litter". They finally got the name right in the wrong game.

I don't know exactly how embarrassing it was, but this past weekend I fell on the base of the bleacher stairs at the Petoskey FTC event trying to go up them, and my shins still hurt a week later.

[Shrub]

One time one of my friends was caught off guard and walked down the up escalator. I thought it was hilarious until I did the same thing.

[Munchskull]

This year we feild a robot that had three of the four rivets on one of its tote gathering arms sheerd. That lead to us nor being able to intake totes correctly. While not many noticed it when we finally found the problem it was embarrassing. Luckily the match after we sheerd them had to be replayed. However all rivets must be 3/16 or larger now, 5/32 has brought great shame to its kind.

[JosephC]

IGVC 2012 - Nobody on the team was paying attention, until we heard "last call team 68" over the speakers. This was made worse by the fact that the field was less than 30 ft away from the pit and we were wondering where the 6th robot for the match was at.

IRI 2012 - 469 had asked us to join their alliance at MARC with a parody of Call Me Maybe. While waiting in line for alliance selections, a mentor came up and gave me our own parody of Call Me Maybe. Reading that in front of everyone still haunts me to this day.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Munchskull

This year we feild a robot that had three of the four rivets on one of its tote gathering arms sheerd. That lead to us nor being able to intake totes correctly. While not many noticed it when we finally found the problem it was embarrassing. Luckily the match after we sheerd them had to be replayed. However all rivets must be 3/16 or larger now, 5/32 has brought great shame to its kind.

While 5/32nd rivets can absolutely be used properly and with much success, I'll never use them again when 3/16th rivets are so much more idiot proof and so much more easily available. Weight savings isn't worth it.

[seg9585]

My team was competing in the Las Vegas Regional elims in 2013 but as the 2nd pick on the team, we were asked to play some hard defense during our rounds.

After several rounds of hard hits (and with just 1 match left to play in Finals) our L-brackets connecting the bumpers to the chassis finally gave way and snapped in half.
Because of their orientation, we simply had no time to find or make new brackets that would fit during our short time-out. Of course, we were not allowed to compete without bumpers nor could we merely place them on the bot and let them fall off mid-round.
In a fit of desperation and hundreds of people watching us on the field (while mascots danced as a time-out distraction), we grabbed as many zip ties as we could and zip tied the entire bumper back into place. In the process we somehow broke 2 ziptie cutting tool blades and teammates (and their parents) were scrambling over to the field with pocket knives or whatever else they had handy in the stands to help clean up the ziptie excess that was extruding from the frame perimeter.

With just seconds left before we would have been forced to remove the bot, everything was finally in place and the refs allowed our patchwork for the final round. Definitely breathed a sigh of relief after that, and went on to win the final round.
Definitely something I'll always remember...

[Taylor]

My first (and last) experience as official event Master of Ceremonies - I was struggling with team flags during team intros. I didn't realize I could just drop them off to a volunteer between the red and blue sides, so during some matches I was manhandling six giant flags at once.
One of the teams had a legit flagpole, complete with a bronze eagle on top. I didn't realize it had fallen off the pole during my manic flagwaving.

The crowd did.

They let me know, in no uncertain terms. But their message didn't sink through my skull before "3 2 1 RUSH!"

[Brian Michell]

In an off season event we were a selecting alliance. Instead of picking order based on rank the top teams pulled numbers out of a hat. Our team rep drew the a 6 but was convinced it was a 9!

[logank013]

Originally Posted by Taylor

My first (and last) experience as official event Master of Ceremonies - I was struggling with team flags during team intros. I didn't realize I could just drop them off to a volunteer between the red and blue sides, so during some matches I was manhandling six giant flags at once.
One of the teams had a legit flagpole, complete with a bronze eagle on top. I didn't realize it had fallen off the pole during my manic flagwaving.

The crowd did.

They let me know, in no uncertain terms. But their message didn't sink through my skull before "3 2 1 RUSH!"

What event was this at? I remember a few instances where flags were left on the ground when matches started at different events... You aren't alone.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Greg Needel

I have 2 stories.


1) 2007 at the championship was the first time I had my segway at the event. During opening ceremonies I was on the floor of the dome over by the cueing area event standing (on the segway). Right after the ceremonies we over I turned to speed off the field on the other side of the dome and hit one of those electrical bumps too fast and at a bad angle. I had a colossal wipe out and was thrown over the handle bars of the segway and onto the floor. Since this was right after opening ceremonies there were tons of people in the stands to witness the event.


2) In 2009, my rookie team 2775 qualified for the championship through winning the rookie all-star at their regional. The students on that team were so excited and engaging that we had quite a few judges coming by through out the event. At one point there were 5 students, 2 judges, and myself in a small huddle near our pits, talking about the team. Really great conversation and then the team driver's let one rip....SBD style. Everyone who has ever been to a regional know that there are some interesting smells that you encounter in the pits, but this was particularly bad The huddle went quiet and then quickly disbursed, and we all had a good laugh about it. We didn't win the Rookie all-start at champs that year and I am not saying the fart was the reason....but I do always tell me students it is important to make an impression, maybe I should have been more specific to the methods.

1) Who HASNT had a segway wipeout on the dome floor? :\

2) I'm adding this story to my judge training.

[Wayne TenBrink]

Our 2007 robot had a gripper on the end of a pivoting arm that would extend out to pick up the tubes and place them on the hooks (in the rare instances when it actually worked).

The robot was on blocks on the table in the pits at the Purdue Regional, and we were working on the arm. Some unfortunate, middle-aged guy who was wandering thru the pits had paused to look at our robot just as we operated the arm. It proceeded to reach out and grab him right in the crotch.