Go to Post It is often less about what you say, and more about how you say it. - IKE [more]
Home
Go Back   Chief Delphi > FIRST > General Forum
CD-Media   CD-Spy  
portal register members calendar search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read FAQ rules

 
Reply
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 19 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
  #46   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 14-11-2004, 21:08
Wayne C.'s Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
Wayne C. Wayne C. is offline
hey- I think we did pretty good?
FRC #0025 (Raider Robotix)
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Rookie Year: 1997
Location: North Brunswick, N.J.
Posts: 1,530
Wayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond reputeWayne C. has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

The 1997 NJ Regional- at the Rutgers College Ave. Gym-

I'd seen the tapes and we built something close to a robot but we were totally unprepared for the experience. Our machine the Silver Eagle was miraculous in that it moved at all and Toroid Terror proved to be just that. But the crowds of loud cheering kids and helpful people convinced me that next year we would do better (we didn't!). In those days the big teams at NJ were TJ2, CD, Huskie Brigade, Buzz and the locals from Hillsborough and Bound Brook. Everybody had neat uniforms and schtick. We had baby blue tee shirts.

A lot has changed over the years and I am glad we stuck with it. This year is the team's 9th season and we have graduated 47 seniors on to college programs in technology fields. And we have fun.

Isn't it amazing where your fondest memories can come from?

WC
__________________
you want that robot to do what?

Raider Robotix- www.raiderrobotix.org
Reply With Quote
  #47   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 08:21
Unsung FIRST Hero
Al Skierkiewicz Al Skierkiewicz is offline
Broadcast Eng/Chief Robot Inspector
AKA: Big Al WFFA 2005
FRC #0111 (WildStang)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Wheeling, IL
Posts: 10,792
Al Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond reputeAl Skierkiewicz has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

My first competition was the Motorola Midwest Regional in 1997. My son invited my wife and I to come and see what he had been working on. Up to that time I had only been involved with the video team ('96 & '97) and had never seen the robot up close. I couldn't believe how loud and exciting the regional was. I think there were only about 30 teams present. Lot's of people in strange uniforms/t-shirts. Sometime on the second day, the robot developed an electrical problem and my son asked me to come to the pits and help. (my first introduction to a student drilling into a tube that contains wiring) That robot is the one John V has a his picture in front of in his bio. I didn't go to nationals that year, but I have been on the team and in the pits ever since.
__________________
Good Luck All. Learn something new, everyday!
Al
WB9UVJ
www.wildstang.org
________________________
Storming the Tower since 1996.
Reply With Quote
  #48   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 08:31
Melissa Nute's Avatar
Melissa Nute Melissa Nute is offline
I like my hammer...
no team
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Naples, FL
Posts: 1,246
Melissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond reputeMelissa Nute has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Melissa Nute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

2001 KSC Regional, only on that Saturday though. I was still a freshman in high school not wanting to miss that many classes yet (ha did that change).

Woody was there in his crazy vest.
86's robot was almost dead last, but we received a judge's award.
Reply With Quote
  #49   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 08:48
Josh Hambright's Avatar
Josh Hambright Josh Hambright is offline
{Error Processing Custom Title}
AKA: oneangrydwarf/jtosh
no team (old school gangsta)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Rookie Year: 2000
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,421
Josh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond reputeJosh Hambright has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Josh Hambright
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

The first competition i went to was Midwest Regional. 2001.
All i can say is i was nearly coughing up blood after day 2, i couldn't talk for a week, and 461 took home their first of many spirit awards.
Life changing.
__________________
Former 461 Student/Mentor. Former 1272 and 1018 Mentor. Team 1555 Super-Fan.
Science and Engineering Can Open New Doors. --S.E.C.O.N.D.--
=~=!=@= #=$=%=
Co-Founder IndianaFIRST

Share your FIRST photos on Flickr!
Reply With Quote
  #50   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 09:26
Jessica Boucher Jessica Boucher is offline
FIRST Historian
no team
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: May 2001
Rookie Year: 1999
Location: Jamaica Plain, MA
Posts: 2,090
Jessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond reputeJessica Boucher has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

1999 Philadelphia Regional, the first 237 ever went to.

I remember cheering throughout practice rounds, finding out what an attenuator was and why it was important (and especially why it's best place isn't in the engineer's pocket), and that 47 is one heck of a puck-grabber. I have that machine whipping the puck across the field ingrained in my mind.

The next day I got yelled at by my director for ruining my voice for my part in Little Shop of Horrors, since the show was a mere days away. But it was worth it.

Years later I no longer do shows (or sing all that often, except in my car), I'm graduating from business school, and I still cheer in practice rounds. Go figure.
__________________
jessicaboucher.com
FRC Alum, Mentor, Volunteer, lots of things.
Championship Volunteer of the Year, 2016
Advisor, NE FIRST
Reply With Quote
  #51   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 14:16
MissInformation's Avatar
MissInformation MissInformation is offline
falling can be fun
AKA: Heidi Foster
FRC #0116 (Epsilon Delta)
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Sterling, VA
Posts: 1,652
MissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond reputeMissInformation has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

VCU 2002, the year our robot looked like a motorized laundry basket Back then, when we were going to Nationals, only pit and flight went to the whole Regional competition, the rest of the team went down just on Saturday, so I didn't really get the full experience of a competition then. I wandered around a lot, taking pictures, looking at other bots, stopping to watch the matches only when our robot was competing. At one point, some of my team members found me to ask me if I could teach them how to do the Time Warp (how they guessed I knew it, I don't know) so I did some crazy hopping around for a bit then went back to wandering... Oh, and I smacked Griffen whenever I saw him. Griffen was a student on the team who had gotten hold of my boyfriend's cell phone two days before, which had my parent's telephone number on it, so Griffen phoned my mother and said (rather ominously) "Mrs. Foster, you have a wonderful daughter." and just hung up. Which freaked out my mother who tried to call me but couldn't get through and caused me two hours worth of apologizing (especially since I made the mistake of laughing when she told me what happened) once she did reach me... so yeah, my hand hurt because Griffen got swatted a lot!

All and all, it wasn't a bad competition, but to me they just get better and better every year.

Heidi
Reply With Quote
  #52   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 15:47
Jeff Waegelin's Avatar
Jeff Waegelin Jeff Waegelin is offline
El Jefe de 148
AKA: Midwest Refugee
FRC #0148 (Robowranglers)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Greenville, TX
Posts: 3,132
Jeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond reputeJeff Waegelin has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

My first event was the 2000 Kettering Kickoff in Flint, MI. I'd just joined the FEDS about a week before the competition, and the team was looking for a new driver. So, they picked the new guy, me, to drive the robot. I had never even seen a FIRST match before, and there I was, driving the robot in competition. Needless to say, I didn't do very well. We lost all four of our matches, seeded 24th out of 24, but still managed to get picked by the #1 seed, Metal-In-Motion (343) and their partner, the Juggernauts (1), and took second place in the competition. It was confusing and frustrating, but driving that robot was more thrilling than anything else I'd ever done. I was hooked from the moment the clock hit 0:00 on my first match.

My first official FIRST event was the 2001 West Michigan Regional. We arrived in the midst of an early March blizzard, with a robot slightly more than half finished. After that, well, let's just say our robot was named "Tippy" for a reason...
__________________
Jeff Waegelin
Mechanical Engineer, Innovation First Labs
Lead Engineer, Team 148 - The Robowranglers
Reply With Quote
  #53   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 16:05
Alaina's Avatar
Alaina Alaina is offline
J = Pf - Po
FRC #0814 (Megaforce Squadron)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Napa, CA
Posts: 715
Alaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to beholdAlaina is a splendid one to behold
Send a message via AIM to Alaina
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

Mine was the Sacramento Regional in 2003.

Even though I later learned that it was a relatively small regional (28 teams) I thought it was amazing to see so many teams in one place. I've been to 7 competitions (5 local) and this one was the only competition my parents ever came to see. I just remember being really, really excited. I was even excited to start the practice rounds. I was the arm controller for Spicy Mustard (see attachment). We won the Leadership in Controls Award, which qualified us to go to Houston, and were semi-finalists. Oh, and I remember the FemBots (692) cheering a lot.

But most importantly, this was when I first became aquainted with MARK LEON!!!!!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	stacking3.JPG
Views:	117
Size:	30.0 KB
ID:	2613  
__________________
"It's cool to be a geek!" -- Dave Lavery
"It's all about the math." -- Mark Leon
Reply With Quote
  #54   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 16:14
Matt Matt is offline
Registered User
no team
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Kansas State University from Az
Posts: 41
Matt is on a distinguished road
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

My first FIRST event was in 2004 in Az regional. This was my first year in FIRST and I was a senior. I was the driver for the robot and it was my first ever regional. It was insane because we lost the first two rounds but then got going and won out. We were in the playoffs. I do not remember our seed. I know that I chose 330 and 585. Some how our robot held up and we won the Az regional. That year was insane. I am hooked now with FIRST.
Reply With Quote
  #55   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 20:02
Kims Robot's Avatar Unsung FIRST Hero
Kims Robot Kims Robot is offline
Onto a New Chapter...
AKA: Kim O'Toole Eckhardt
no team
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Framingham, MA
Posts: 1,467
Kims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond reputeKims Robot has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Kims Robot
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

Now I am going to feel old....

My first FIRST event was the NH regional in 1996!! I cant say I remember much other than the "interesting" Econolodge, and eating at Applebee's. I think the competition must have overwhelmed me!

I do remember the Nationals that year very well though. We were the precurser to the Ace's High 176, Team 10 the Raiders (possibly the RoboRaiders). I dont even have a shirt from that year, I cant remember if we had them made or not. We did not have buttons, as we didnt know about the tradition yet.

That year, the competition was actually held inside of Epcot! The pits were a long run from the stage, and mascots were fainting everywhere because it was rather warm out! We used a supersoaker to spray down the head of our Raider, when all the little kids weren't looking. The kids would run up to him and ask for his autograph thinking he was captain Hook!

The party was tons of fun, we made some friends on the Buzz team. Though, I think we were the reason the team has a curfew now!! We got stuck with the teachers riding things like "its a small world" over and over again *shudder* At least now Im a mentor!!

Rumble at the Rock I. was that year also... in a hurricane!! We drove our robot up in a pickup truck covered with a tarp, were late to competition, and ran in wiping it down with rags towels and anything we could find!!

And that was my first FIRST year
__________________
~kim~
Kimberly O'Toole Eckhardt <3
Principal Systems Engineer & Program Manager
History - Team 176, Team 229, Team 1511, FIRST Volunteer!!
My new FIRST Photography Hobby & Angry Eric's Fan Page
Excellence - is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible.
Reply With Quote
  #56   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 15-11-2004, 20:17
CourtneyB
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

The first one i attended was in 1999 at Midwest Regional when my sister was on the team.. I had no clue what was goin on. Other students tried explainin what was goin on to me and I had no clue what so ever..And let me remind you, i was in 5th grade at the time. lol
Reply With Quote
  #57   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-11-2004, 05:04
dlavery's Avatar
dlavery dlavery is offline
Curmudgeon
FRC #0116 (Epsilon Delta)
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Rookie Year: 1996
Location: Herndon, VA
Posts: 3,176
dlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond reputedlavery has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

(Okay, I apologize in advance – this is way longer than I intended. Once I started writing the story just sort of kept coming and I couldn’t stop. I think that there is a little personal catharsis and self-therapy going on here )

The first FIRST competition I ever attended was the Championships in 1996, held at EPCOT in Orlando. This was way back when the entire competition was held on the little stage at the American Adventure Theatre in the U.S.A. pavilion at the back of EPCOT, not the big “Olympic Village” that sprawled all over the parking lot. We had absolutely no idea of what we were getting in to that year. No one on the team had ever seen a FIRST competition, or even a FIRST robot, before. The lead teacher was the only one that was able to go to the kick-off, so literally all we had was a kit of parts, a rule book, and a complete misunderstanding of what we were supposed to do.

We spend six weeks building a thing that vaguely resembled a robot – but only when you looked at it with the lights really low and your eyes all squinty. There wasn’t a straight line or square corner anywhere on it. It was painted with poster paints, and decorated with a big smiley face, with a few business cards stapled on (tape was forbidden!) to provide the required corporate logos. The chains connecting the motors to the drive wheel sprockets stayed on perfectly - as long as we didn’t try to actually move. We then spent the last two days of the build season taking the entire robot apart. You see, that was the first year that FedEx donated shipping the robot. The offer of free shipping was great, but there was a catch. The donation was limited to shipping three standard FedEx boxes of materials. You know, the ones that are 3x4x36 inches or 3x11x16 inches, or just big enough to hold a few pieces of paper. We thought that you HAD to use the donated shipping service – it never occurred to us that we could just pack up the entire robot into a crate and ship the whole thing as a unit, as long as we paid for it (the way virtually every other team did it). So we took the entire robot apart and made a pile of 5000 little tiny pieces, then poured all the parts into the FedEx shipping boxes and sent them on their way.

So we show up at the competition on Thursday morning and walk into the pits, which were in an open-sided tent in the back lot behind the U.S.A. pavilion. Our eyes got as big around as dinner plates as we looked around at all the highly engineered machines and teams decked out in team uniforms and/or styled t-shirts, and realized how completely out-classed we were. We found our pit and looked at the pitiful little pile of FedEx boxes on the floor waiting for us. Next to our pit on one side the Baxter Bomb Squad already had their machine out of the crate and was going through pre-flight tests, and on the other side the robot from a certain other unnamed team was sitting under a hand-embroidered dust cover and a velvet rope stretched across the front of their pit area to keep their students away from the robot. While most other teams spent the entire day practicing, we spent all Thursday re-assembling our little robot and getting all the parts to work again - or in some cases, for the first time. Our first exposure to the FIRST standard of gracious professionalism was having several of the engineers on the Baxter team loan us tools and help us rebuild the robot, for which we were eternally grateful (by the way, that year they built a very cool little custom suction cup out of polycarbonate that worked with the wimpy little 20psi pumps we had, and picked up the 24 inch balls like there was no tomorrow).

As Friday rolled around and we started the double-elimination rounds, we started to get our first taste of the competition. We won several of our matches, not too bad for a rookie team. We also discovered a huge tactical error we had made – not bringing a cart for the robot. The trudge from the pits out into the open area of EPCOT, dodging through tourists, and over to the American Adventures stage was about 150 yards. After about thirteen times of carrying the robot back and forth, it seemed like the robot was gaining significant weight (or we were just getting tired).

Meanwhile, that certain other team on the other side of us spent the entire day very obviously laughing at us as we trudged back and forth carrying the robot, while they gracefully glided their robot around on a custom-built cart. This was after spending all day Thursday laughing at us as we struggled to re-build our robot, while theirs sat under its hand-embroidered dust cover. But then late in the day on Friday we were up against them in a match and we won and knocked them into the “losers bracket” of the double-elimination competition. As we were carrying the robot back to the pits, we overhead one of their engineers complaining about “the crappy little robot” that had beaten them (yes, I still remember who they were, and yes, I admit that I can't help but hold a little bit of a grudge).

That was when we learned a lesson from the folks on the Baxter team and Larry Crawford from Team 120. They all told us not to sweat the occasional rough edges that may show up during a FIRST competition, and instead focus on what was really happening. The students on the team were getting a chance to apply all the theory they had learned in the classroom. They were getting a chance to work with adults as peers, and see how professionals worked. They were getting the opportunity to see other great and soon-to-be-great teams in competition, and hang out with them to make new friends and exchange information. And a whole new generation of technically literate engineers, technologists, scientists, and inventors was being created right in front of us.

With that perspective, we set out to get as much out of the event as possible. We met a whole bunch of up-and-coming new teams like The Baxter Bomb Squad, the X-Cats, Orange Crush, Technokats, Tigerbolt, Wildstang and a young Chief Delphi team (with a certain young lead engineer who was as enthusiastic and excited about the competition as one human being could possibly be – Dr. Joe Johnson). We had the chance to watch several of these teams go on to become some of the best-known teams in FIRST. As a young team, a lot of our focus was on the “competition” part of the program, and we really wanted to get good enough to take on some of the emerging powerhouses of FIRST. Chief Delphi, with their very impressive performances during those early competitions, quickly became a team that a lot of our students wanted to defeat, with the reasoning that “if we are ever good enough to beat them, we can beat anybody.” But in the process, we had a lot of discussions about HOW Chief Delphi got to be as good as they were, and the obvious emphasis they put on simplicity, creativity, and quality in their designs and their whole approach to the FIRST program.

I knew that the students on our team really understood what FIRST was all about when, two years later, our unofficial team motto changed from “we want to BEAT Chief Delphi” to “we want to BE Chief Delphi.” And ever since, the whole focus of our team has been less on the competition itself, and a lot more on the build season and making sure that both students and adults get the most out of the entire experience.

So to all those teams that helped us during our early years to figure out how to focus on the most important parts of FIRST, let me say a big “thank you!”

-dave
__________________
"I know what you're thinking, punk," hissed Wordy Harry to his new editor, "you're thinking, 'Did he use six superfluous adjectives or only five?' - and to tell the truth, I forgot myself in all this excitement; but being as this is English, the most powerful language in the world, whose subtle nuances will blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' - well do you, punk?"
- Stuart Vasepuru, 2006 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest



My OTHER CAR is still on Mars!!!

Last edited by dlavery : 16-11-2004 at 11:11. Reason: fixed typo
Reply With Quote
  #58   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-11-2004, 05:07
mtaman02's Avatar
mtaman02 mtaman02 is offline
FIRST's Spare, Queuer &amp; Tech guy =)
AKA: Mike M. / Mouse =)
no team (FRC Volunteer)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: Staten Island, NYC
Posts: 1,504
mtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant futuremtaman02 has a brilliant future
Send a message via AIM to mtaman02 Send a message via Yahoo to mtaman02
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

My First competition was in 2001 of March for the NYC Regionals been hooked ) on FIRST ever since =)
__________________
Past FIRST Robotics Events that I proudly volunteered at:
FLL: NY State Competition '03
FRC: NYC Remote Kickoff '04 & NYC Regionals '04-'15 ,'10-'13 & NJ Regionals '06-'10, Finger Lakes Regional '09 & SBPLI Regional '08-'15 and the World Championship in '05 (Galileo Field) '07 (Newton Field) '09 (Practice Fields Attendant / FTA(A)), CeBIT Convention in '04 & NextFEST in '06 both held @ the Javitts Center, Monty Madness '07-'10, Panda-monium '08, B.Eruption '08 & '09, Ramp Riot '08, PARC '09 & '10, BR^2 '09 & Wol. Inv. '09 -'15
2015 FIRST Robotics Off Season Events that I hope to volunteer at:
Where is Wolcott Invitational
2015 FIRST Robotics Events that I will be volunteering at:
SBPLI Reg. & Championships
Volunteer Resume:
Alt & Lead Team Queuer, Field Repair/Reset, Field Setup/Breakdown, Spare Parts Attendant, Field Power Controller/Score Keeper, Co-Emcee & Official Scorer, Control System Advisor, FIRST Tech Advisor Assistant & recently Practice Field Attendant.
Reply With Quote
  #59   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-11-2004, 05:24
Elgin Clock's Avatar
Elgin Clock Elgin Clock is offline
updates this status less than FB!
AKA: the one who "will break into your thoughts..."
FRC #0237 (Black Magic)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: May 2001
Rookie Year: 2001
Location: H20-Town, Connecticut
Posts: 7,773
Elgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond reputeElgin Clock has a reputation beyond repute
Send a message via AIM to Elgin Clock
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

The first FIRST competition I ever went to was the UTC New England Regional in 2001. Our robot did horribly, we had our pits outside in a tented area where it was not only cold as heck (CT weather in March) but, we also had flooding in there. (Did I mention our robot was 19.5 feet long too?)

We rebuilt the robot after every match, and we placed maybe somewhere in the last 5 spots.

I was called up to coach in one round, and Woodie Flowers, who was MCing the event, tapped on the glass, and pointed at his eyes. Apparently I forgot something - my safety glasses. I ran to the direction of the pits, but since the countdown for the match had already begun, I asked the first person I saw in the queuing line to borrow theirs. They let me and then in that match we broke once again. We pulled the bot off to the side of the stage and tried to fix it. I had the person I borrowed the glasses from yelling at me that they needed them back, so I ran over to them and threw the glasses their direction and was off with a quick "Thanks" as their match was being count down to start.
Later that day, I painted on a set of "safety glasses" with some face paint.

Then after the competition was over, a couple of teammates and I went outside to help pack up some stuff since we were not in the finals. We saw a limo, and asked who was in it. The driver told us that somebody had hired them to drive them from the competition. We asked if it was someone named Dean Kamen. He said no, but we still had a feeling that it was for him. One of my friends tried to bribe the driver for more info with a dollar, and he still wouldn't tell us who it was for.
After standing outside for about ten minutes and talking with the driver, we saw Dean come out toward the venue, and we asked him for his signature. He gladly obliged, and the friend who tried to bribe the driver with the dollar had Dean sign the dollar. (I think)
(btw, I still had the safety glasses painted on my face at this time. )

Dean got in the limo and left, and as soon as he left we all kicked ourself for not taking pictures since all 3 or 4 of us had cameras in our pockets.

The team party that Friday night was at the University of Hartford gym, and we danced , and sang, and ate free food and had a blast.
__________________
The influence of many leads to the individuality of one. - E.C.C. (That's me!!)

Reply With Quote
  #60   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 16-11-2004, 10:15
'lil Gach's Avatar
'lil Gach 'lil Gach is offline
Electrical girl
AKA: Tiffany
FRC #0111 (WildStang)
Team Role: Alumni
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Rookie Year: 2003
Location: Rolling Meadows
Posts: 48
'lil Gach is a jewel in the rough'lil Gach is a jewel in the rough'lil Gach is a jewel in the rough
Send a message via AIM to 'lil Gach
Re: Question: What was the first FIRST competition you attended?

I do remember the first FIRST competition I did go to. I went to the 2002 Nationals to watch WildStang because my brother was on the team then. I remember sitting there watching this competition and then thinking about how much I wanted to do it. The thing I remember about the 2002 Nationals is the big water fight we all had there... FIRST was giving out free water bottles and then someone decided to start the water fight and I also join in.. So it was fun.. Ever since that competition I have loved coming to the competitons and being on the team.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Robot Skills Competition - Canada's Wonderland Off-Season Event Mr. Lim Off-Season Events 20 03-06-2004 19:41
A Question on Sportsmanship Steve M General Forum 31 25-05-2004 23:52
my idea of a question forum... Ken Leung General Forum 12 30-11-2002 12:17
How well did the regional competition help preparing? archiver 2001 3 24-06-2002 02:33
The site of the competition archiver 1999 8 23-06-2002 22:41


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 19:06.

The Chief Delphi Forums are sponsored by Innovation First International, Inc.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © Chief Delphi