UPDATE: AZ Regional

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Cory

I cant remember what else I heard, but it sounds like it's going to be 60+234+868 and 980+190+their partner in the finals.

So much for everyone's picks for the finals. 1212 and 330 and their partner (585, I think) won. I'll get more details after the awards ceremony

[Joe Ross]

Both the 234 and 980 alliances lost in the semifinals. 60 broke in the semifinals. 330 had their robot controller die before the second match of the finals. Between the 6 minute timeout and scoring trouble, they had approximately 15 minutes to replace it and did. The Head Ref approached the opposing alliance and said that according to the rules 330 shouldn't be allowed to play, but asked them if they would like him to enforce that rule. The opposing alliance said that they would like 330 to compete.

selection of awards:

champion: 1212, 330, 585
finalist: 498, 696, 80

chairmans 330
sportsmanship: 498, 696, 80 for allowing 330 to compete
quality 60
industrial 980
entreprenurship, website 234
volunteer Don Knight
engineering inspiration 842
rookie allstar 1393
highest rookie seed 1324
judges 1401
anmation 192

[sanddrag]

A big round of applause to Don Knight, the queing crew, and the AV and field setup and teardown people. All you folks are just great!

[Amber H.]

Wow! What a trip! We got back at 6:00 A.M. Sunday after what turned out to be a fourteen hour drive. We went as an evaluation team and ended up being volunteers when they got caught in a pinch late Thursday. It was a great way to get to know things close up.
All of my people ended up on the field or thereabouts. I (the short shooter) was in charge of blue alliance reset with Evan (pole boy) and Lisa (the other shooter) helping out, Cara (the redhead) was put in charge of red alliance reset, and Karl was the one who helped you all cue up on the blue side of the field. Everyone says they had a blast and are now completely obsessed with starting a team. This is largely due to the example you all set with your courtesy, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship. We were especially impressed with the gracious professionalism shown by the teams that allowed team 330 to participate in the final round. It also made for an exciting finish for the day.
Thank you so much to the teams that provided valuable information and offers of support to us. We’d also like to especially thank those of you who gave us a heads up when entering the field while we were distracted with the reset. We avoided many bruises because of you. Thanks for your patience as well when the balls came back down on us while shooting.
I’d also like to thank the girl who loaned me her blue poodle/circle skirt so I could be the head ref’s example for his brief lecture on proper dress after giving our announcer friend a fashion penalty.
The people who worked with us at the side of the field made us feel like family and we were sad when it came time to say goodbye. We felt really bad that we had to leave right after the last match in order to get back in time to fill our responsibilities back in Utah, but alas that is life.
We hope to see you all again as a new team next year.

Thanks from:
The CEU Evaluation Team
Cara, Karl, Evan, Lisa, and Amber


P.S. some of the bots earned pet names from the reset crew for their stand out performance and appearance. I’ll post them later if anyone is interested.

[Matt]

That was a really fun regional. My team had some iincredible lunk and we were able to win this regional. The strat we used was a good strat. This will be our first time going to nationals which should be really great.

[Marygrace]

Originally Posted by Matt

That was a really fun regional.

Ya, the regional was awesome, our team had a blast, 234, ya'll deserved the GP award. And it what topped the whole trip off for us, was in LAX on our way home we saw the origional Hulk...THE ORIGINAL HULK!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Marygrace

Ya, the regional was awesome, our team had a blast, 234, ya'll deserved the GP award. And it what topped the whole trip off for us, was in LAX on our way home we saw the origional Hulk...THE ORIGINAL HULK!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

Kind of strangely that was your 330th post. While we had some issues deep within our team, it was a great event and we had a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing everyone in LA!

[Libby Ritchie]

To team 980...
My husband (Scott Ritchie of 234) gave me details on you guys did. Sounds like it was quite exciting and you had a great regional experience! Congrats on doing so well and I wish you the best as you continue to compete this year. Your team was SOOO nice to us at IRI and I'm glad I got a chance to meet you! I hope you can come back again this summer to Indiana!

Congrats!

[Krystine T.]

I would like to send a great big THANK YOU to teams 234 Cyberblue and 898 Cortez High School. You guys are awesome and I hope you come back to Arizona next year!

I also want to congratulate teams 330, 585 and 1212 on winning the regional. You guys did "Wicked Awesome"

Congrats to the Beach Bots for winning the Chairman’s award!! You guys are great! I love your team! We had a blast with you throughout the Regional and at the Science Center!

Thank you to teams 498, 696, and 80 for showing everyone what sportsmanship and gracious professionalism is all about!!!

Congrats to the Highest Rookie Seed Team 1324, and Rookie All-star Team 1393.

Congratulations to team 842 for recieving the Engineering Insperation award. I appluad you for crossing the border and mentoring team 1401!

Congratulations to team 1401 Prepos Locos from Mexico City on your Judges Award. I hope to see you guys at the Arizona Regional next year!

980, you guys are a crack up! I love your team, and had a blast with you at Castles and Coasters and at the wonderful Peter Piper Pizza. Y'all had a fantastic autonomous mode and Congrats on the GM Industrial Design Award!


Most of all, thanks to everyone at the Arizona regional. Because of your gracious professionalism this regional was a Blast!

And last but not least, congratulations to Mike Rush for winning the Woodie Flowers Award. You definitely deserved it!

[DougHogg]

Originally Posted by Libby Ritchie

To team 980...
My husband (Scott Ritchie of 234) gave me details on how you guys did. Sounds like it was quite exciting and you had a great regional experience! Congrats on doing so well and I wish you the best as you continue to compete this year. Your team was SOOO nice to us at IRI and I'm glad I got a chance to meet you! I hope you can come back again this summer to Indiana!

Congrats!

Hi Libby,

It was great to see Scott and all of Team 234 again. It was also very exciting competing with 234 for first place. We were hoping to pick Team 60 ourselves as we have never been teamed up with them, and they have helped us a lot beginning back in 2002 when Glenn came to LA to teach all us rookies about drive trains.

The excitment never let up. After 234 moved into first place, we were even calculating how many points we would have to give our opponents to take back first again.

As it was, we were excited to be able to pick Teams 190 and 1011 and it looked like we might meet up with Teams 234, 60 and 898 as opponents for a very exciting finals. However some other teams had other ideas and it was not to be. Congrats to the winners and runners-up.

Thank you to the Arizona Regional Planning Committee for an awesome event. The Arizona Regional rules.

And Libby, thanks for the invite to IRI. IRI was one of the best experiences that our team has ever had, and if there is any way that we can pull it off, we'll see you again this year.

[Redhead Jokes]

Originally Posted by Amber H.

Everyone says they had a blast and are now completely obsessed with starting a team. This is largely due to the example you all set with your courtesy, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship. I’d also like to thank the girl who loaned me her blue poodle/circle skirt so I could be the head ref’s example for his brief lecture on proper dress after giving our announcer friend a fashion penalty.
P.S. some of the bots earned pet names from the reset crew for their stand out performance and appearance. I’ll post them later if anyone is interested.

Oh lord amber, I was so overwhelmed I forgot you were there evaluating for Utah when you came with a big hug. Keep us updated on all that happens about that, and don't hesitate to ask us for anything you think we can do to help.

Our team loves the Phoenix regional and it's become a training ground for our new team members and to bring other teams' students/mentors and teacher reps so they can see what a wonderful intimate well-run extremely busy fun regional is like.

We had a parent/mentor and student from 2nd year team 1115, then a couple of weeks ago were able to recruit a mentor from their team to join us, and just a very few days before Phoenix were able to recruit a mentor from rookies 1453 to join us in Phoenix. We had a teacher rep from our high school who hasn't been involved with the team.

Thank you to Phoenix and all competing teams. You contributed to the people with us to being inspired to brainstorm about "connections" to get more LA Regional funding and facilities for a party in the future, to encourage their "rookie" teams to continue at their schools, to inspire using "connections" to get more rookie teams from local schools not yet in the program, for our teacher to go to the school activities teacher to get us into the pep rally from now on to demonstrate what a regional is like including impressing them with hanging from the bar because he believes people have GOT to know that there's so much more to the robotics' program than people think...

A FIRST official came by our pit and spotted a pink bag. He wanted only the bag and I emptied what was in it, still puzzled what he was up to. He asked for a button to weigh down the bag, and then told me it was a penalty flag for the emcee. I didn't get a chance to see it in action. Love the stories.

I want to hear the pet names.

Here's some more stories I can think of...

Our retired school district technology director, now a board member on the nonprofit foundation that handles our money, was so impressed with Team 60's chairman's award application that she brought me over to see it, but there wasn't a copy left. Team 60 searched down a copy and made sure she had one. Thank you for personally taking care of a VIP from our team!

Two little girls with their mom visited our pit and their mom read to them off our posters about our virtual team member Tessa. Those girls were enraptured by that and, I'm sure, the entire experience at the regional. Future team members are dreaming about their future in the program.

Thank you to Team 60 for organizing the Thursday night party. We were worried about the rain, and called the party facility to have Team 60's Amanda paged, who took care of reassuring us that the rain wasn't going to prevent the fun to be had. Despite the very light sprinkle, there was unlimited miniature golf, and 50 credits for the video games - that I thought wouldn't last long. Students and adults alike had plenty of fun for the entire evening and our team hopes that evening becomes a Phoenix tradition. They are looking forward to it not raining next year to take advantage of what would have been a wild time with the cool looking outside rides that were included in the modest $10 price. Thank you 60!

We have a new female member who'd joined very recently, only been to one meeting. At the last minute someone had to cancel out of going to the regional, and I called the girl to replace them. She was very unsure that she'd find anything to do to be useful, and she was worried she didn't know anyone. Needless to say she learned there is so much more to the competitions than just working on the robot, and we kept her very, very busy, and during the Phoenix regional she was inspired to ask to be our team's co-programmer and she was already being trained on the spot up in the bleachers with Sid, who I believe will be our head programmer for the new season.

Loved seeing Canada and Mexico recognized well by the regional, and the two country's teams participating being so visible, i.e. by singing their national anthems. Our team of course loves Jesse, the incredibly talented and inspiring trumpet player who does our national anthem.

Great to see the Woodie Flowers and the unique teacher's award given out, and how much those people meant to their students. Seeing a student fly down the bleachers, jump across the field, to hug the winner, and more students rushing out to hug and congratulate the winners - our team and others can relate to seeing the appreciation for adults' hard work in this program, and the camaraderie between adults and students that develops. Thank you adults and students for making that such a visual memory.

If I think of more stories, I'll be sharing them. Please share yours.

[Cory]

Why exactly was it that 330 shouldnt have been allowed to compete? Was it because they had to switch their RC (I don't see why this would be disallowed)?

Cory

[Redhead Jokes]

Originally Posted by Cory

Why exactly was it that 330 shouldnt have been allowed to compete? Was it because they had to switch their RC (I don't see why this would be disallowed)?

330 called a time out, a time out is for six minutes only, they barely missed the six minutes and the teams' graciously allowed them to compete anyway.

[Amber H.]

[quote=Redhead Jokes]

I want to hear the pet names.

QUOTE]

60- Taz (for the Tazmanian Devil)
190- Wings
234- Spider Man
330- The little crane that could
980- Sparky

[Scott Ritchie]

Wow!!!!!!!!!! Great regional everyone. On the plane ride home yesterday I could here our kids telling other passengers about FIRST and describing matches they had been in. I always say your first ever regional is one you have the best memories from but after attending the AZ Regional for two years I don’t know if that is true. I am truly sorry that things didn’t work out for our alliance with 60 and 898 but we were honored to have you guys along for the ride. Since this was our first time to have the first pick in the draft I appreciated having 60 there to help us make decisions and I and my team learned a lot even though things didn’t work out the way we wanted. Thanks again to 294 for the great trophy. An award voted on by your peers has a special meaning to it and we will display this award in as visible place as we can find. Right now it is setting on the front desk in our schools office and will be on our morning announcements sometime this week. We will also display it at Chicago next week and Atlanta after that. 980 gave us a great run all the way to the end of qualifying. Go figure that it would be your team that would push us so hard for the top spot after last year with our arm battles. It is funny how two teams can build a history with one being in Indiana and the other in California but hey that’s FIRST.

As we were coming out of the stands after the Chairman’s was awarded to 330 I saw an emotional Chris Husmann and I fully understand his emotion. I don’t think it is emotion about winning the award but about the people that worked so hard along side you to get your team to this point. I have always said that I get a lot of accolades for this team but it is not me it is a lot of good people doing a lot good things. Congrats Chris and 330.