PARC 7 feedback

[Rich Kressly]

Best PARC so far ... I even saw Channel 16 there .... did they run a good piece? Personally, I like it better without the "fun" rounds which always seemed to make the day drag.

[OneAngryDaisy]

Originally Posted by Rich Kressly

Best PARC so far ... I even saw Channel 16 there .... did they run a good piece? Personally, I like it better without the "fun" rounds which always seemed to make the day drag.

Same here, the only thing I (disliked) about PARC was the fact that not every team got to compete in the playoffs. The one thing that always stood out for us about offseason competitions was no matter how bad your robot was, you always got a chance to 'go for it'. I'd reccomend next year adding maybe one or two alliances, maybe even having a 9th seed that has to play #8 before it all begins (see the NCAA tourney), just so that everyone can play. It just stinks not playing at all during the regular season, then missing out again during the offseason. Otherwise, a great job as usual at PARC, the live video in pits was impressive.

[mtaman02]

Pit Location 100% Improvement.

Music Selection Excellent even though Macarena was played 3x, Cotton Eye Joe was played 2x and the Electric Slide and Cha Cha Slide was only played once =(. But thats ok we'll see about next year at PARC VIII. FIELD area and seating was roomy. Pit Area was also a BIG improvement. Towards the end the Starting Match sounds became louder but as said was corrected in a few matches.

I miss the "Special / Fun" Rounds. Yes it made the day longer but it also tested the capability of a teams robot single handedly.

flow of traffic excellent and improved game rate also excellent moved along nicely!!!

[Joe Troy]

PARC 7 was great!

My only question about moving the pits to the cafeteria is...What took so long!? Having the pit area in the cafeteria was perfect. There was plenty of space, it was visitor friendly, and it was easy to load in and out.

The DJ and the Announcer needed to coordinate a little better (the music was winning over the announcer on several occasions), however, both the DJ and the Announcer did a great job of keeping the event lively and fun.

PARC does a great job of attracting competitive teams from the region (PA, NJ, DE, NY, CT & NH). We would hope that PARC remains as a single day event; thirty teams is plenty.

PARC IV was the first post-season event we ever attended and we look forward to the PARC event each year. PARC has always been both competitive and FUN...keep up the good work!!

[George A.]

Originally Posted by Joe Troy

both the DJ and the Announcer did a great job of keeping the event lively and fun.

Which announcer? There were two, myself being one of them.

[Joe Troy]

Originally Posted by M.O.R.T.
Which announcer? There were two, myself being one of them.

Sorry...could you type a little louder, I couldn't quite make out your voice!

Seriously, I thought the announcing added to the event by making sure that everyone in the stands was aware of what was taking place on the field regardless of your view (or lack thereof). I am also sure that the folks in the stands we grateful for the explanations of penalties, referee decisions, etc.

I am always disappointed when we attend a FIRST regional or championship event and the announcer does not explain that a penalty was assesed or an on field ruling was made by the refs.

Once again...thanks for making PARC a great event.

[frank_a]

As the event coordinator and scorekeeper, A.K.A. guy with head buried in computer all day, I would like to add that this is the best FIRST field control and scoring system that I have seen. I have been running the PARC scoring for the past few years and the folks at FIRST have outdone themselves this year.

No more hunting for a computer and correct version of software that would run the program and talk to the field control box and generate pit displays at the same time with no conflicts. Instead FIRST built a basically self contained console to ship with the field. Granted, it is the size of a small car, but it worked flawlessly after minimal tweaking by Eric and Rick over the phone and internet to make it post-season friendly.

Locally to PARC, I would like to improve on our video display capability. Two improvements - first, getting a second channel to the pits to display live action. Second, somehow figure out a way to display video in the gym despite the large banks of light panels that don't have window coverings.

Overall, I'd like to thank the participants for a smooth day and wish everyone luck for the rest of the post season.

[OZ_341]

Originally Posted by Rich Kressly

Best PARC so far ... I even saw Channel 16 there .... did they run a good piece? Personally, I like it better without the "fun" rounds which always seemed to make the day drag.

I agree. Fun rounds seem cool in theory. But in practice, they confuse the audience and make the day drag for the uninvolved teams.

At Ramp Riot we only do a lunch time fun game. Each year it is designed to move quickly and be over at 1:00PM, no matter what.

Then, right back to the REAL ACTION, match play!!!

PARC was great. Keep up the great work.

Al Ostrow
Coach 341

[JudyVandy]

Great event! Food was good and reasonably priced--Compliment your chefs. Announcers kept us entertained (but not overly so) and informed. The cafeteria was a great place for the pits. Pits were spacious and not too far from the field. Altogether, everything was great and we're looking forward to next year, as usual.

Thanks to everyone who helped to make everything so much fun, including everyone who came to play.