PARC 7 feedback

[Dave_222]

Anyway, here it is the inevitable feedback thread, let me have it, the good the bad , and the ugly, the only way we can make PARC better is if we get 100% honest feedback from you, the teams who attended, so let it roll. :-)

[petek]

I honestly can't think of any area of the competition which needs any improvement over this year's PARC. The only issue with the field I noticed was the announcer and field sound (driver charge tune) being drowned out by the music in early rounds - but that was corrected.

Though the concept of a two-day, 35-40 team PARC sounds like a blast, I doubt that many teams would be able to do the travel or housing for it, so I think a one-day, 30 team PARC is just right.

So that just leaves nit-picking:
- We missed Tubby !
- Colored PARC shirts?

Congratulations to Fred and team 222 on hosting (and winning) another great event.

[Mike Ciance]

PARC 7 was a very good competition, as it has been in the past, and anything bad that i say here will be nit-picking
most of the problems are simply due to the size and design of the school. the cafeteria was a good room to hold the pits, but way too far from the field (not like that doesnt happen at nationals). i went to PARC 6 and 5 when the pits were in the hallways and even though that was close (at least for us low-numbered teams) it was very cramped, so the cafeteria did work beter overall. i don't want to sound like i'm complaining, because i honestly can't figure out a better way for it to be done with that school setup, i'm just commenting.
the food was pretty good. i had the fruit cup and that was good, but it was missing some of the best fruits like pineapples and pears. probably for profitability reasons, so it's understandable. tasty stuff though. one suggestion for next year would be to have a second, more expensive version of the nachos with other stuff on it like beef and sour cream.
another thing was the many electrical outlets by the field did not work
one final thing is the TVs in the pits. the alliance picking was not updated immediately, and it actually paused for several minutes and then added 4 teams at once. also, a live broadcast of the rounds themselves would have been great for in the pits.
the competition ran very smoothly, you guys did an excellent job of making everything come together and work right
great competition guys. as you can see, i couldnt come up with anything that bad for the problems. i look forward to going next year

[Wayne C.]

Using the cafeteria for the pits was a definite improvement.

Loading in and out through the back door was also a good change.

The event moved along quickly and efficiently.

The announcements needed to coordinate with the music better- sometimes the announcer was fighting the DJ and couldn't be heard. No big deal though.

Your food concession always does a good job and has stuff good to eat.

Overall, the event is probably as good as any FIRST event can be and the Tigertrons are to be commended. Great event and great job.

My guys had a great time despite our mechanical problem. Thanks for the invite.

WC

[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.