GTA Regional- THANKS AND CONGRATS

[omutton]

What a good regional! Congrats to teams 1114, 1305 and 1511. It was nice to see a GM Canada team take it hom.

Thank you to teams 1241 and 772 for picking us. I really don't know what to say, that first match was........yah.

Congrats WALDO 1547 for the Rookie All-Star win! See all of you in Atlanta! (YAH BABY!)

Congrats 1241 (theory6) for the Chairman's Award win, Wilfred, Dennis and Agnes had a great presentation.

1305: WOW! Motorola Quality (again), REGIONAL CHAMPS! (...again), Engineering Inspiration (yah you guessed it, AGAIN!) Can't wait too see all of you in Atlanta, you sure will do this country proud!

Karthik: You did an awesome job! So much energy!

[Rohan_DHS]

i too congratulate you guys on ur victory...and as omutton said...good job Karthik.

I would just like to add that this was the first FIRST event that we attended, and i think that i speak on behalf of my whole team that we had fun, and were very inspired and motivated by this event, so once again a thanks to all the event staff, volunteers, and everyone else who helped making our vert first FIRST experience, a very enjoyable one.

[Travis Hoffman]

I don't even know where to begin.

First of all, the biggest thank you in the world to Vance Scott, Mark Breadner, and every other volunteer, judge, and referee who continue to make the Greater Toronto Regional the best regional experience in FIRST. You are so well organized, it's scary. 70 Q-matches in a day without even feeling rushed. What a well-oiled machine you run up here! You set the standard that other FIRST events should hold themselves to.

Second, thank you to Canadian FIRST teams in general. Thank you for being such fun, friendly people. You are the main reason we keep coming back year after year. The quality of the robots, especially that of the rookies, keeps getting better and better. The North is a force to be reckoned with!

Third, thank you sooooo much to our elimination round alliance partners, Teams 1503 and 84. You guys CARRIED our alliance through the quarterfinals and the semis, until we finally remembered who we are as a team. 1503, you showed your big brother what you're made of, and 84, you guys just proved that it's not the final ranking position that counts, it's the performance on the field that deserves the most consideration. You were both wonderful! Those finals were a thrill ride from beginning to end. It was the best possible exhibition of great offense balanced with stifling defense I can imagine. Thank you for proving me partially right with my recent posts . It was an honor competing alongside you. Best of luck to you in what is certainly going to be a bright future for you both.

Fourth, 1114, 1305, and 1511 - you guys most certainly deserve the championship victory. You earned it the hard way - it should never be easy! 1114, great job capping that center corner goal in the last few seconds of Finals 2. I was looking forward to a third finals match, but you snatched it away from us in the most exciting way possible. There is no other team I'd rather lose to than yours. You guys are the best, and Team 48 is honored that you would consider us your friends. Tyler - thanks for being so observant and helpful this morning with that busted master link clip.

1241 - Thank you for bringing the extra practice field - its benefits to all teams in attendance were immeasurable. Congratulations also on your Chairman's Award victory. You are a truly great young team that turns heads wherever you go. I just wish I could get one of those orange stocking caps....

Thank you to the regional staff who solicited input from the participating teams on teams to be considered for the Sportsmanship Award. This is the first time we've ever won this award, and we were quite surprised. However, this award will hold a special place in my heart for quite some time. I try to keep our assistance to other teams as low key as possible, but it sure feels wonderful to have the teams we've helped recognize us for the help we gave them. Thank you - it was our pleasure meeting you all and helping make your regional experience a little easier!

Vince Lau - first Karthik, now you. What a thrill to see FIRST recognize the younger mentors in FIRST who make this program so special. Congrats on your regional WFA!

Steve Warren - Thanks as always for being one of the best on-field communicators in FIRST. The enthusiasm and penalty feedback you provide to teams and the audience is outstanding.

To our driver, Paco - WELCOME BACK FROM FRANCE, buddy! Great job to the team for keeping your Saturday return a secret from Karthik - you almost gave him a heart attack, I think. Great job getting back in the saddle so quickly.

To our alternate driver, Scott - I'm so proud of you for filling in so admirably in Paul's absence. Your performance on Friday in Mississauga was key in getting us to the Finals, and your gracious support of the team once Paul returned was equally as impressive. Great job, kiddo.

To our copilot Frank - hang in there, F. One day soon, everything's going to click for you and you're gonna reign in that pain-in-the-butt arm we mentors gave you. Until then, keep up that cheerful, levelheaded demeanor you always exhibit, and keep on sticking that arm where those offensive teams least want it to be - in between them and the goal. Outstanding Finals effort, my friend.

To the volunteer refs - Thank you for maintaining my faith in regional referees and selecting such a levelheaded interpretation of the rules. Your superb management of the competition created a fun, safe, and exciting experience for all participants.

And finally, to Karthik, I extend a big thank you and congrats on doing such a bang-up job of MC'ing. Your Canada's Wonderland effort was no fluke. Also, great job remaining impartial while out there - it's hard enough to do that when one of your robots is competing, but it's an even tougher thing to do with three NiagaraFIRST robots out there competing at once.

Loose ends:

To the 100 or so people who asked me about the LED badges some of my team was wearing in Mississauga, I refer you to this thread. Thanks to Team 1501 - THRUST, for discovering this neat little gizmo.

To Mr. Pit Bull 1126 - it was great to finally meet you in person. I separated out your LED badge in the pit after the awards ceremony, but I couldn't find you anywhere in the pit or stands to give it to you. We'll take care of that in Atlanta. Sorry I couldn't get it to you sooner.

Thank you also to the teams that provided batteries to our alliance during the finals.


THANK YOU CANADA FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO MAKE THE GREATER TORONTO REGIONAL A ROUSING SUCCESS!!!

[shyra1353]

Thank you to the planning committee, event staff, volunteers, judges and referees for an event extremely well run.

Congratulations to 1114, 1305 (two regionals in a row!), and 1511 for matches well played and a regional well won.

48, 84, and 1503: you were also an amazing alliance and the last match played was incredibly close.

Congratulations to 1547 who won Rookie All-Star Award. Coming from an all-girls school, I was extremely proud to see another all-girls school win this award.

Thank you to 1241 for all your help provided throughout the build season. It is truly appreciated and Chairman's was well-earned.

1353: You have come a long way since last year. Congratulations on being picked as an alliance and doing so well this year.

Karthik: Thank you for the great job as MC. You look great in a kilt and I secretly think you liked it. You even wore it for extra matches. Sorry I had to take it from you at the end.

Vince: Congratulations on WFA. I know that you have worked extremely hard over the past two years.

Almost done .. promise. I wanted to thank the team that gave us the battery when our connectors came loose on the field moments before our match started. I am not sure which team it was, but I can visualize you in my head. Thank you so much, you cannot imagine how much SWAT (and I personally) owe you.

Lastly: Thank you to SWAT 771 for my last year as a student in FIRST. You have all made it a truly incredible experience for me. One that I am sure to never forget. We played amazingly and were a strong team throughout the year. You should all be very proud of yourselves because I know I am proud of us all and Mildread 4.

[Karthik]

If I thank everyone that I want to, we might be here for a while, so I'll try and keep it brief...

- The event organizers, led by Vance Scott and Mark Breadner. The reaction to this regional was completely positive. Everything ran so smoothly, it was amazing.

- Team 772. It's a shame you won't be going to Atlanta, your team has been amazing at all three of your events. Keep you head high, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

- Team 1241. The Chairman's Award could not be in better hands. You guys truly are a model for other FIRST teams.

- Team 48. You guys have been awesome friends to 1114 over the years. Now you've extended that friendship to all of NiagaraFIRST.org. You were as helpful as always in the pits, and showing that awesome Ohio spirit in the stands.

- Ken Patton, JVN and Adrienne Emerson. Thanks for all the help this weekend, especially on Friday night. It's always fun talking FIRST with people who know as much as the three of you do. I'm also glad that I learned about the limitations of OnStar.

- Team 1511. What an amazing team. You guys completely rock, from top to bottom. I was amazed when I saw that you slipped to the second round. A team who as exhibited such consistency over three events, should not have fallen that far, not that I'm complaining. Kim, I've only spoken to you briefly, but you seem like one of the best mentors I've ever met. Keep up the great work.

- Team 1305. I know most teams south of the border haven't heard of these guys, but you will in three in Atlanta. After two regionals, they have two Motorola Quality Awards, two Engineering Inspiration Awards and two gold medals. What a haul! They were the obvious #1 pick for 1114. Lets see if we can make this partnership happen again in Atlanta.

Finally, on behalf of Teams 1114, 1503 and 1680, I want to thank all the teams at the Greater Toronto Regional. Everyone showed a lot of gracious professionalism, and permeated through the event. You showed a lot of spirit, and made my job as an MC that much easier. I hope to see all of you again next year.

See y'all in Atlanta.

[Adrienne E.]

Although I wasn’t competing this weekend, I had an amazing time at the regional. I mean who wouldn’t want to spend an entire weekend in the stands with Ken Patton and JVN debating strategy?
I would really like to thank 1114, 1503, and 1680 for showing John and I such hospitality all weekend, we really appreciated it! The triplets were all great robots and I’m glad they all did so well.

[Kims Robot]

Originally Posted by Karthik

- Team 1511. What an amazing team. You guys completely rock, from top to bottom. I was amazed when I saw that you slipped to the second round. A team who as exhibited such consistency over three events, should not have fallen that far, not that I'm complaining. Kim, I've only spoken to you briefly, but you seem like one of the best mentors I've ever met. Keep up the great work.

Thanks Karthik We were a little worried we were overlooked as rookies, but went into shock hearing our name called by the first seed Our drivers are truely amazing(especially considering they are both freshmen!), our human player is super fast and focused, and our coaches really do not play like rookies anymore! It was definitely worth the wait to hear our names! Plus in many ways it was nice to finally not have the stress of having to select!! lol.

And thanks for the kind words, its easy to be a great mentor, when I had great mentors to follow. Engineer Dave (of 176) finally won the woodie flowers award this year, and he and the mentors of 176 inspired me. Plus I had some practice on 229 They have truely come a long way since I started there. And my kids have so much energy and excitement that they make the job easy.

I didnt realize there was a thanks thread(in my haze of sleepiness!), and posted the rest of my thanks here

[Vince lau]

Originally Posted by T. Hoffman

Vince Lau - first Karthik, now you. What a thrill to see FIRST recognize the younger mentors in FIRST who make this program so special. Congrats on your regional WFA!

Originally Posted by shyra1353

Vince: Congratulations on WFA. I know that you have worked extremely hard over the past two years.

Thank you, for your comments

[parkd66]

On behalf of Trafalgar Castle School (Team 1547 - Where's Waldo), we would like to thank everyone who made our experience so memorable! Special thanks to team 1141 and 1397 for choosing us as an alliance, you guys rock! Also, congratulations to EVERYONE who won an award at the competition. Clearly, all the hard work has paid off and it definitely shows!

Until we meet again...
-danielle

WWAALLLLLDDDDOOOOOO

[JudyVandy]

On behalf for all of Chuck 84, we had a grand time on our first trip north of the border.

Congrats to Championship winners 1114, 1305, and 1511. We're honored to have played against you.

Thanks to our alliance partners, 48 and 1503, for selecting us. Again, we are honored at being selected by you. It was a great trip through the finals!

To everyone who made the Greater Toronto Regional possible, our sincere thanks. You all did a grand job in planning and executing a superb experience for everyone. You are all to be commended.

[Ken Patton]

Congratulations to 1114, 1305, and 1511. You guys were definitely the powerhouse alliance in Toronto. Watching a row get made in autonomous in about 3 seconds was impressive!

I got a chance to listen to the 1114 strategy team discuss their scouting results, options, and plans, and it was impressive. Jeff and Emerald had so much good data at their fingertips that it was almost overwhelming. Thanks for letting an old-schooler see what is possible.

Thanks to JVN and Adrienne for letting me tag along!

After having seen or competed in five regionals this year, I have to say that the Toronto regional was the best-run. They were significantly quicker in rolling through the matches, and the delay for scoring the matches was much shorter than I had seen in previous weeks. I'm sure some of this was due to lessons learned over the five weeks, but I think most of it was the organizational skills of Mark Breadner and Co. Awesome job!

Ken

[neilsonster]

Thanks to everyone who made this event so memorable. I had a great time cheering everyone on.Thanks to 1241 and 1006 for making the GM alliance, as short-lived as it was. I just wish that we didn't have such bad luck! (That second match our battery connection wasn't zip tied, ugh). Also to 1547 for your spirit award and for making this event just as memorable as Finger Lakes. Your presence really makes it something special.

I'm definitely coming to this event next year, but by then I'll be a mentor. See you then .

[#1Transgirl1140]

I know my team has already done this, but I would like to extend an extreamly HUGE THANK-YOU to 1241. Without you're guys' help, we would have never been able to compete. You helped us show that even though we wern't doing so well, we showed the teams that we could basically redesign our whole omni-drive train in one day!!

To 1114, even though some teams would be bitter that someone basically ratted them out, it was a blessing in disgues. It would have sucked if we got to Atlanta and were disqualifyed because of the motor thing. Thanks so much for all the teams rooting us on and helping us. It was good to get away from familar teams.

[Derek Bessette]

Thanks to teams 1305 and 1511. This was my first year coaching and it was easy coming up with strategies with two strong stackers like yourselves. I hope we can work together again at the championship.

Thanks to Ken Patton, JVN and Adrienne Emerson for your help on friday. It was nice to have an outsiders opinion in our strategy talks.

I also have to say I really enjoyed watching Adrienne destroy Ken, John and Karthik in the Indy 500 game at Playdium.

I would also like to congratulate team 1241 on their chairman's award and team 1305 on their second engineering inspiration award. Both well deserved.

Congratulations also to teams 1503 and 1680. You both played well this weekend. I hope we can continue to grow NiagaraFIRST.org. So that more kids can have as much fun as we did this past weekend.

I would also like to thank all people involved in AndyMark and the Nothing but Dewalts whitepaper. Without these resources we could not have been as successful as we were.

Oh and a couple more thank yous to all the students and mentors involved in our teams. I had so much fun so far this year. Thanks also to GM and Steve Rourke who gave us the resources to make this possible. I am proud to work for a company who puts so much into FIRST.

[Adrienne E.]

Originally Posted by Derek Bessette

I also have to say I really enjoyed watching Adrienne destroy Ken, John and Karthik in the Indy 500 game at Playdium.

Oh man I almost forgot about that! That was one of my finer moments at a FIRST competition. The best was afterwards when Ken says to me, "I didn't know you were winning. I didn't see you so I just thought you were really far behind us" haha sorry guys!