First Time in Atlanta

[Abra Cadabra IV]

I think the walk will be a bit better this year; last year they had to deal with tornado damage on top of everything else and I think the route we had to take from the pits to the dome was affected by it. However, it's still going to be a long walk. DEFINITELY invest in something to help you carry your robot. Last year we made that mistake and spent a couple matches hand-carrying our 20lb robot to the field and back until we found a collapsible luggage dolly (which I do NOT recommend using except as a last resort). Even if your robot's light, it's a long walk and you don't want to risk dropping it.

In regards to matches, I think last year each team got 7 or so. They also gave us 2 practice matches at the beginning of the first day, which I don't think were included in the total of 7.

Also, if the scheduling is anything like last year you might not get much time to visit the FLL pits or matches. They run on roughly the same schedule as FTC, if I remember correctly, and if queuing is the same as it was last year then you're going to spend a lot of time in the Dome waiting for your match. (Last year the matches ended up delayed by a good hour or so but teams were being queued according to the original schedule.) But even with this, you'll still have an entire day to watch FRC matches. The final matches in particular are definitely worth seeing, especially if you're lucky enough to get good seats.

Overall, Atlanta is a wonderful experience and definitely worth the trip. It sounds like you and your dad are pretty well prepared for this, but if you run into trouble other teams are usually willing to help out, lend parts, or even share scouting information. Good luck, and I'll see you there!