What to Expect at Nationals

[VanMan]

We are in the process of getting the money for nationals. We have a few sources that we will get it from. We are not too far from having the money but we still need a bit more.

[KathieK]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

- If you have an opportunity to meet some of the fine folks of FIRST, smile, shake their hands, and tell them it is a pleasure to meet them.

At every event you go to, seek out the fine folks of FIRST, or the Regional Director, FIRST Senior Mentor, VISTA Volunteer, Chair of the planning committee, any member of the planning committee, the referees, judges, technical field advisors, sponsors and on and on and on. Many of these people don't work frenetically 6 weeks a year building a robot. They work frenetically 12 months a year building this program so we can all benefit. Say THANK YOU. Say THANK YOU for volunteering your time so I can be a part of this great event. Say THANK YOU for organizing this event so my team could compete in it. Say THANK YOU for securing the funds so that we can have an event that rivals any sports team championship. We all get so caught up with winning or losing or keeping track of rankings that we forget to revel in the moment and thank those people that are making it happen for us.

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by SPurekar

There is a tunnel underground for the drivers and robot to get from the Congress Center to the Dome, so rain doesn't affect the robots. Everyone else has to go outside to get to the pits.

It's the scenic route. Past the machine shop and any number of really smelly dumpsters. Be sure to say hi and thanks to the great team queuing volunteers who are stationed here.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by SPurekar

There is a tunnel underground for the drivers and robot to get from the Congress Center to the Dome, so rain doesn't affect the robots. Everyone else has to go outside to get to the pits.

Originally Posted by RoboMom

It's the scenic route. Past the machine shop and any number of really smelly dumpsters. Be sure to say hi and thanks to the great team queuing volunteers who are stationed here.

G'won. It had red carpet. Had to watch for those snakes, though.

<Shamless plug> Volunteers get to use the inside route too. Volunteer to help at the event, and you can walk on the red carpet. </Shameless plug.>

[Arefin Bari]

Seems like everyone else covered everything that you need to know...

Have fun, that's what you are there for. Meet new people, you never know who becomes your close friend. Stop by the volunteers and make sure you say thanks to them, it takes a lot to put together an event like this. Stop by the mentors from other teams and ask them questions about their robot, you will learn a lot.

Again, have fun, but make sure it's not harmful to anyone.

Good luck and we will see you soon. =)

[Bongle]

I'm just writing thoughts as I think of them as my timelapse video of the pits->field tunnel uploads to youtube.

Make sure you bring good shoes. The walk from the pits to the field can take a about 5-10 minutes one way, and if you do the round trip for every match, that adds to a substantial amount of distance in one day. If you're staying in the pits to work on the robot, you'll be standing for all the time you aren't walking or watching your 2 minute match. By the end of the first day, my feet were just destroyed, and I'm an athletic guy.
Edit: Measured it on google earth. You can expect to walk a half-mile from the middle of the GWCC to the furthest quarter of the Georgiadome. So if you return to the pits after each match, that's a full mile per match.

Bring some decent food in a backpack if you're into that kind of thing, because subsisting on hotdogs and food-court fast food for 3 days isn't fun.

Bring all your nerdy toys. People were in awe of my powerball all weekend. I lost count of how many strangers asked me what it was. Also, if you're just watching or are media, there'll be plenty of time to waste.

For the love of Dean, get into the stands for the einstein matches early, and try to get on the lower level. They fill up very fast once they open. Last year they had balloons full of confetti for the chairman's award winner that quite badly blocked the view from the upper stands. Don't try to keep your team together for the einstein matches, because you probably won't be able to and you're going to waste valuable potential seats while you search in vain for a contiguous block of seats.

In contrast, seats are plentiful around the individual fields. Spread out and get comfortable. We hung a canadian flag from the 2nd level somehow (possibly through rule-breaking, I wasn't there for its hanging), and that was a good marker so you knew which tier of seats to head down when you were walking around the outside.

Remember to use your media pass! We had ours for 2 days before we realized that nobody was using it, and I finally got to go down onto the field.


Make sure you save some camcorder space and batteries for the fireworks on Saturday. I've never seen a better show in my life, and don't really expect to see another one like it. No one will believe how good they were unless you have video to show them. It's kind of surreal seeing central Atlanta covered in firework smoke in between the skyscrapers.

Sign up early and often for time on the practice fields. There aren't many, and there are LOTS of teams that want to use them. There are no power outlets near the practice field, so if you want to change programs while on the practice field, make sure that your laptop has a decent battery. The practice fields will be (or at least were last year) fully operational competition fields, not wooden mockups like at regionals I've been to.

Buy a tshirt/souvenir, even if you're feeling cheap that particular day. You may never be back.

It may be too late for this, but make sure that your team has distinctive teamwear. With 300 teams there, navy blue or black with some writing on it doesn't really cut it when you're trying to pick your friends out from the crowd. Our team actually got an entire new set of tshirts for Atlanta because we could never find each other in the stands at GTR. Also make sure that everyone is wearing their stuff. It's much easier to pick someone out across the dome if you're looking for a known shirt rather than a known face.

The weather was a gorgeous 20 degrees celcius (low 80s fahrenheit? I don't know) when I was there in 2006, and I don't remember any rain during the competition. MARTA was pretty straightforward to use from the airport.

This video is taking forever, so I'll stop here and edit it in later.

[rohit]

uggh.. Regionals was so much fun and "championship" sounds soo much better.

I wish we could go. This was my second year and we didn't get to go. I hope that we will do well enough to go next year

[Bongle]

Originally Posted by rohit

uggh.. Regionals was so much fun and "championship" sounds soo much better.

I wish we could go. This was my second year and we didn't get to go. I hope that we will do well enough to go next year

Remember, you can always take a unused spot at championships, to go for the experience. You don't HAVE to win regional chairman's or a regional, though it probably means you'll have more success at the championship if you do.

And you can go as a mentor later in life. I managed to fly from Toronto and arrive thursday morning at 11am (wake-up at quarter to 4am), thus missing only 2 days of work.

[Elyse Holguin]

Originally Posted by Bongle

Make sure you bring good shoes.

He's not kidding folks, even if you are a driver/coach/volunteer and get to walk on the coveted red carpet, GOOD SHOES ARE A MUST! You might want to invest in odor eaters too, ask anyone affiliated with the Purdue teams (1747/1646/461) how my feet smelled.

Originally Posted by Bongle

Bring some decent food in a backpack if you're into that kind of thing, because subsisting on hotdogs and food-court fast food for 3 days isn't fun.

Just make sure you hide it well, as food isn't really allowed into the stands.

Originally Posted by Bongle

Remember to use your media pass! We had ours for 2 days before we realized that nobody was using it, and I finally got to go down onto the field.

Plus, if you have it, you can walk the red carpet too, and take pictures of the gross dumpsters and snakes and rats and whatnot (kidding! it wasn't that bad).

Originally Posted by Bongle

Sign up early and often for time on the practice fields.

Make sure you have someone paying attention to that too!! Time will lag, teams will forget to show up, and EVERYONE needs to practice.

Originally Posted by Bongle

The weather was a gorgeous 20 degrees celcius (low 80s fahrenheit? I don't know) when I was there in 2006, and I don't remember any rain during the competition.

If the weather cooperates, it usually is pretty nice, but don't ONLY bring shorts, because it can be cold! Also remember that flip flops aren't allowed in the pits.

[RoboMom]

Originally Posted by Bongle

Edit: Measured it on google earth. You can expect to walk a half-mile from the middle of the GWCC to the furthest quarter of the Georgiadome. So if you return to the pits after each match, that's a full mile per match.

Bring some decent food in a backpack if you're into that kind of thing, because subsisting on hotdogs and food-court fast food for 3 days isn't fun.

LOL. I would always say "it will feel like you are walking a mile..."

>>>more shameless plugs<<<
Volunteers get free food. In the volunteer lounge. Of course, you will have to walk a mile.... (Just kidding-there are 2 volunteer lounges and one is near the pits!)

[BRosser314]

Originally Posted by Jack Jones

Steve - I agree that with the growing number of international teams, people should stop calling the Championship the Nationals.

After all, isn't one of last year's Champions from Canada?

On the other hand, six teams from less than 30 miles from where I now sit have become Champions over the last five years. So, maybe we should start calling it the MoTown Invitational?

As much as I would like to call it the MOTown Invitational, I think if that happened many teams would be very upset since there are other areas of the country that do produce a good amount of winners. But me being a michigander and a mentor of a MOTown team, Michigan and the detroit area do produce some very excellent robots, but there are teams tht go undefeated in a single year and sometimes 2 years, that never go to the Champinoship event. So i mean as much as MOTown Invitational sound cool, I like Championship better, sounds more prestigous

[BRosser314]

When I was there in 2004 for the first year of Nationals in Atlanta I was really overwhelmed as a Sophmore. Since I was a pit person I made that hike from the pits to the stands after every match, back then I remember being able to run or walk a t a very brisk pace. Also me and a few other found a secret way to get to the stand in about 10 minutes, our secret only, but we were very stealthy, and I think its blocked off now But going back this year as a Freshman at college and a mentor of a different team, I have so much expectations for FIRST and The properly name Championship event. I wish luck to all rookie teams that are going, and any student taht has not been to this event,

[Priyadarshy]

is there a fireworks show every year because it was just phenomenal?
i couldnt believe it was real!

[SPurekar]

Originally Posted by Priyadarshy

is there a fireworks show every year because it was just phenomenal?
i couldnt believe it was real!

Does anyone have a video of the fireworks? I know it won't look as great at the original, but it's better than nothing. My team had to go back to the hotel and we missed it... I really wish I'd seen it, now that everyone says it was soo good.

[Bongle]

I've lost the original and forget how much this was sped up (probably about 10x), but here is a video of how long the walk is to the fields along the shorter red-carpet route:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSjKVDgnWwY