2008 St. Louis Regional

[Mark Pierce]

I'll give quick update from the non-competition side of things.

We've been busy in the pits, but so has almost everyone, it seems. It is a first week regional so that's not entirely unexpected. Everyone seems to be helping each other in true FIRST fashion.

St. Louis is really showing us a great event. As a first timer here, I'm surprised at how much it feels like home. Lots of familiar faces, but even more new people to meet. Several volunteers have stopped by to make sure we're doing OK and the judges seem experienced and friendly.

The competition seems closer than the standings and results show. Our scouting team (an incredible bunch) just spent several hours deciding that it's impossible to agree on a ranking order of the top machines and teams. Putting 217 at the top is easy, from there it gets tough. Some of it's the game, but every team has its strengths and challenges.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll see more matches, but I'm having a great time.